Sergio Perez amplified the pressure on him after yet another Q1 exit during the 2024 Hungarian GP qualifying. The Mexican crashed his car and had to start the race in P16. However, this unwanted scenario is becoming increasingly regular in his case. Former F1 mechanic Marc Priestley believes Perez is becoming a liability for Red Bull and won’t be backing up Max Verstappen as the title fight heats up.
McLaren is steadily chipping away at Red Bull’s lead in the constructors’ standings. They’ve not only closed the gap to Ferrari but are just 78 points behind Red Bull. This is by no means a battle Verstappen can win alone. Besides the constructor’s championship, Perez is not even there to help the Dutchman with strategy during races as well.
PEREZ!
Into the barrier and out of Q1 #F1 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/hGbvs0yxrI
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 20, 2024
On the flip side, both McLaren men are running closely to maximize their team results at every race weekend. Priestley highlighted this scenario on the BBC’s F1: Chequered Flag Podcast and suggested that Perez needs to be replaced.
Priestley said, “If you’re Red Bull you’ve got to get rid of him. Because it’s only having a negative impact on your team’s performance in a constructor’s battle which is getting tighter. Whilst Verstappen might be reasonably comfortable in the driver’s championship, the constructor’s championship is definitely not comfortable”.
“Without Perez, they’re going to really struggle. Not just struggle in the constructor’s championship because he’s not there scoring points but he’s not there to help Verstappen when it comes to race day.”, he added.
Priestley put himself in the driving seat at Red Bull and confessed he would replace the Mexican driver. Despite the contract extension, some exit clauses could end his tenure early. Moreover, Perez had little to no defense for his output during qualifying.
Perez is desperate to make a comeback with no justification for his poor output
Perez was asked about the incident by Lawrence Barretto in the post-qualifying interviews. Sadly, he had no defense for the crash except the slight damp patch on the track which he caught. Perez confessed he was just a passenger in the incident after catching the wet patch and riding on the kerb. However, he’s not giving up.
The 34-year-old confessed he’s determined to improve and become an asset for Red Bull. Perez wants to fight back and give a better output to help the team in the championship. Currently, he’s a liability with his lowly qualifying results which limit even his perfect race executions in the bottom half of the top 10.
With the rivals occupying the higher positions, Perez will need to start challenging consistently at the front to help Red Bull retain its crown. Time will tell whether he can do that before he gets ruthlessly axed by the team.
