With two victories in the first four races of the previous season, Sergio Perez got off to a great start. But his performance took a sharp decline halfway through the season. This led the Mexican to face immense scrutiny from the F1 community. Although Perez eventually regained his form during the last few races, he scored relatively few points. These incidents have sparked concerns about the 34-year-old’s impending Red Bull career. Amidst this F1 expert Peter Windsor has come up with his perspective. The former Ferrari manager claims he wouldn’t understand Red Bull’s decision to let Sergio Perez leave even before his contract expires.
During the live stream on his YouTube channel, as quoted by F1 Maximaal, Windsor said, “I wouldn’t see why Red Bull would want to get rid of him before the end of the year.” Additionally, he mentioned that Perez is performing his duties effectively despite not having made much of an impact on the team’s constructor’s title.
Besides this, Windsor feels that Perez is the perfect number 2 for Max Verstappen. He said, “He fits well with Max and the team they have, also with his experience and knowledge. He can still win a race or two, he still does what he has to do.”
The remarks made by Windsor appear to be a reiteration by Red Bull taskmaster Helmut Marko. In a recent interview, the 80-year-old said that Perez needs to continue driving in the same manner as he did in the last races in 2023 to obtain a contract renewal.
Who can be Sergio Perez’s replacement if Red Bull decides to fire him?
Sergio Perez felt quite confident after his victories in Baku and Jeddah. However, Perez could no longer win once Verstappen started his winning streak of ten races. From Miami to Italy, the Dutchman set a record of winning 10 consecutive races. During this time, when Verstappen enjoyed his winning streak, the Mexican driver struggled miserably.
Checo struggled so much that for five races in a row, he could not qualify for the Q3s. The #11 driver’s performance made the team consider whether to offer him another opportunity in 2024. But the squad believed in his abilities and didn’t terminate his contract in 2023. Still, the team may show Perez the exit door if he doesn’t improve in 2024.
In case this happens, then according to Christian Horner, his side already has a luxury problem (plenty of candidates for the second Red Bull seat). This, as per Peter Windsor, might open the gates for three potential candidates. While naming them, the Brit said, “If they do release him [Perez] after 2024, I think Albon has a good chance. If not, it could be Liam Lawson, or Daniel Ricciardo.”
Windsor has identified these drivers as possible replacements because of their outstanding performance over the past few months. While Albon scored 27 of the 28 points in a sluggish car from Williams, Liam Lawson made a strong impression in his debut with AlphaTauri. Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo also turned heads with his Mexican GP performance in the qualifying and the race.
As it stands, the situation won’t be resolved until the start of the next season. Fans will only be able to find out whether Perez has settled in with the new RB20 or if they will once more have to witness Max Verstappen’s supernatural dominance.
