After achieving almost everything this year, the Red Bull camp seemed to be losing its calm. Reason? Sergio Perez, who had the best start however is now facing the worst nightmare in the fast RB19. While Verstappen met the criteria (3 points gap with Perez) to win his third championship in Qatar, Sergio Perez had nothing but pain. The Mexican driver failed on a number of occasions to keep his RB19 within the white lines, which, according to van de Grint, kept fiery RB headmaster Helmut Mario quiet. Given Helmut Marko’s stern and outspoken temperament, who has never shied away from expressing his opinions, this seems strange to the experts who believe that Marko’s tight lips on Perez’s matter is the calm before the storm.
Out of a total of 17 races, Perez has won only two this season. Despite his scorching RB19, the Mexican has notched just eight podium finishes. At one time, the gap between him and Verstappen was only one point, however, Perez’s qualification errors in five straight races caused him to see the gap widen. When it comes to Max Verstappen, he has stayed unrivaled and has won his third championship. With 433 points, the Dutchman has won 14 races, including 10 straight victories.
Now after failing to rival Verstappen and causing the team absolute sorrow this season, the F1 market is ablaze with rumours of Checo being replaced. Moreover, there is speculation that the Austrian team has signed Daniel Ricciardo for a seat at Alpha Tauri solely to put him under greater pressure to deliver.
Will Sergio Perez’s lack of performance see him get ousted by Red Bull?
Sergio Perez had an eventful weekend in Qatar. The Mexican driver received a p13 in Friday’s qualification while ended the sprint with a DNF on Saturday after being eliminated on lap 10. Later on Sunday, he finished on 10 with only 1 point. His performance has undoubtedly cast doubt on his racing skills, and he is now being considered for replacement. According to Formulapassion, F1 specialist Allard Kalff, “He will have a watertight contract for next year.”
Though Vande Grint was critical of Perez’s position, he believed the squad would benefit from a fresh driver. However, the rationale he gives for this is entirely legitimate. He said, “McLaren’s pressure with two cars could be very different next year. Then you want to have two riders who get on the podium.” With this, the experts also discussed how, with Perez’s poor form, Daniel Ricciardo might be given a shot in the Red Bull seat.
Following Daniel Ricciardo’s return to F1 tracks, speculation has mounted that the honey badger will take over for the Mexican. Kalff, on the other hand, sees things differently. According to the analyst, Ricciardo is unlikely to be promoted.
Who is going to replace Sergio Perez?
Christian Horner has already labeled the Red Bull seat as a luxury problem. Indeed, it is. There is fierce rivalry for the coveted spot alongside Max Verstappen in the blazing RB19. While a lot of experts believe that Daniel Ricciardo would be the one to replace Perez, Allard Kalff thinks otherwise. The experts think Yuki Tsunoda should be promoted to Red Bulls instead. For that, he must have a reason.
Yuki Tsunoda hopes that his bosses do not “misunderstand” his commitment to Red Bull’s #F1 effort, amid rumours linking him to Aston Martin.
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— Autosport (@autosport) October 6, 2023
Since his debut, the Japanese driver has been remarkable. He has given the midfield teams some tough battles on occasion. Aside from that, he has brought the squad some critical points with a sluggish At04 (3). Moreover, since his debut with the team, he has continued to be impressive, although his point total this season does not reflect his immense talent.
With Yuki in Red Bull discussions, Daniel Ricciardo’s fairy tale dream of finishing his career with Red Bull may be jeopardized. The honey badger will soon have the opportunity to demonstrate whether or not he is worthy of the Red Bulls seat.
