Former F1 driver Hans-Joachim Stuck has recently slammed Sergio Perez for losing out to Fernando Alonso in Brazil. The German questioned if the Mexican driver was “stupid” or “blind” for losing out to the Aston Martin driver despite having a much faster car.
Stuck told Motorsport Total as per Junaid Samodien, “He [Perez] didn’t understand that Alonso drives a much faster line in the corner onto the long straight. I have to say: Is he stupid? Is he blind?”
Insights on ALO vs PER photo-finish!
Checo was 26km/h faster on the line due to DRS+Tow+Less draggy car
At 328km/h, the final gap (0.053s) amounted to just 4.82m! (less than a car length)
Perez overtook Alonso just 0.66s after the end of a 71-laps race!#F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/6GOB3cobAK
— Formula Data Analysis (@FDataAnalysis) November 7, 2023
Perez and Alonso had a long battle for P3 at the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace. Things spiced up in the second last lap when the Red Bull driver took a fine line to overtake the Aston Martin star.
However, his joy was short-lived after Alonso retook third place soon after. What left Stuck in disbelief was the fact that Red Bull have decided to stay with the 33-year-old despite his average performances throughout the course of the 2023 season.
Hans-Joachim Stuck believes Sergio Perez is not worth the money
Sergio Perez not only had a tough outing in Brazil but has also struggled for most of the 2023 season. As a result, many raised questions about whether he is the right driver for Red Bull.
One of them was Hans-Joachim Stuck. The former German driver believes that Perez is not worth the money and that Red Bull should look for replacements.
What a battle @alo_oficial !It was fun to push to the limits and fight for every inch of the track.
In the end a positive weekend, now the objective is to seal the second place in Las Vegas. 💪🏼
Qué batalla @alo_oficial !Vaya que fue divertido ir al limite y pelear cada cm de… pic.twitter.com/vLlVOTuBvG
— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) November 5, 2023
However, Felipe Massa has a contradicting view to that of Stuck. The Brazilian is of the opinion that Perez deserves to be alongside Max Verstappen, and Red Bull should not sack him. The former Ferrari driver defended his statement by explaining how going against Verstappen is far from easy.
Massa stated that even Fernando Alonso or Lewis Hamilton would struggle to beat the Dutchman at Red Bull. Therefore, Massa believes that Perez is doing the best he can for Red Bull.