Lando Norris Tipped To Replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull Amidst Rumored Tensions With Max Verstappen

Sabyasachi Biswas | 29/03/2023
Lando Norris Tipped To Replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull Amidst Rumored Tensions With Max Verstappen

Red Bull is likely to replace Sergio Perez with Lando Norris if the Mexican keeps “whining” and “squealing”, according to Dutch journalist Jack Plooij. This comes right after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix when Perez was visibly unhappy with his teammate snatching the fastest lap.

As per Marca, Plooij believes that the former Racing Point driver needs to put his whining and squealing aside to stay on the team. He said this in the latest broadcast of the Race Cafe podcast.

After last year’s Brazilian Grand Prix clash, the relationship between Verstappen and Perez turned sour. Even though the team and drivers say otherwise, things look the opposite very much.

It was further evident in the recently concluded Jeddah Corniche Circuit race. When the Mexican driver was asked on the radio to keep his time delta positive, he asked if his teammate was doing the same.

Furthermore, when the Pilot asked about the fastest lap on the radio, he went for it despite knowing that the team wasn’t concerned about it back then. This shows the rising hostility between the two Red Bull drivers.

Will Lando Norris come to Red Bull?

For now, the answer is no. It’s because both Perez and Norris have contracts with their team until they are prematurely ended, similar to Daniel Ricciardo’s situation. But Robert Doornbos believes the team will try to sign him.

The Mexican has a contract with the Austrian team till 2024, whereas the Briton’s contract with McLaren runs even longer. Furthermore, Red Bull is currently happy with having the 33-year-old on the team as the Dutchman’s teammate.

Admittedly, team principal Christian Horner has earlier revealed that the team held talks with the 23-year-old driver. This was done before the contract extension of Perez last year. However, the team changed its mind after the 33-year-old won the race in Monaco.

Will there be any benefits to having Norris on the team?

For now, two prominent benefits of having the McLaren driver on the team appear to be. Firstly, Norris is young and fast. He is just 23 years old and has ample F1 experience at this age. With the Red Bull challenger, he will be a perfect fit to continue the dominance.

Secondly, having a British driver will help bring in ample media and fan support for the team. Given that their base is in Milton Keynes, this will certainly help.

Post Edited By: Tanish Chachra
Christian Horner Daniel Ricciardo Lando Norris Max Verstappen Sergio Perez

About the author

Avatar photo

Sabyasachi Biswas

Sabyasachi Biswas is an F1 journalist at The SportsRush. With over one and a half decades of love for the sport and five years of experience in the field, he dreams to be a regular at the paddock when the lights go out. A Red Bull fan and F1 fan in general over the years, he enjoyed watching Felipe Massa, Sebastian Vettel, and Max Verstappen dominate the track. Apart from F1, he's also a big-time Madridista and Federer fanatic. He was a sub-junior level footballer, won inter-district quizzes and debate competitions back in school. A travel freak throughout, he tries different cuisines and learns new cultures whenever he's away from the keyboard.

Don’t miss these