Sergio Perez is having a good start to the 2024 season, finishing P2 in back-to-back races. Even though he is miles away from Max Verstappen, he is doing what Red Bull wants him to do- finish second behind the Dutchman. F1 expert Peter Windsor believes that because of this, the Mexican driver might have just secured the Red Bull seat for 2025 despite Alex Albon and Daniel Ricciardo’s desperate attempt to grab it instead.
Speaking about this, Windsor said in his latest YouTube video, “Perez with that penalty, still there was no way he wasn’t going to be second in that Grand Prix. And he was a pretty good second you know, a pretty good, very professional second. I think the way to phrase it so suddenly all the talk about oh yeah Perez is going to be replaced has all gone out of the window.”
Perez’s seat came under jeopardy after his disastrous slump in 2023. He started the year strongly, but fell off due to the pressure of having to deal with Verstappen’s superiority. His performances, especially in qualifying worried Red Bull, and rumors of him getting the sack intensified.
Fortunately for him, his race pace was strong enough to help him finish P2 in the title, which is what Red Bull wanted in the first place. Fast forward to 2024, and Perez’s place gets more secure with each passing day. Even though Alex Albon and Daniel Ricciardo are being tipped as potential replacements, senior figures like Windsor feel that Red Bull will offer Sergio Perez a contract extension.
How Daniel Ricciardo and Alex Albon can find their way into Red Bull?
Ricciardo returned to F1 midway into 2023, with AlphaTauri (now V-CARB) but made it a point that he wanted the Red Bull seat. Unfortunately for him, he hasn’t been performing at a level that could get him there, since Yuki Tsunoda has outperformed him.
On the other hand, Albon has been driving well for Williams, a team that hasn’t been able to break into the points. Albon being a former Red Bull driver has also been linked to the Red Bull seat. However, he hasn’t publicly admitted to wanting a return to Milton-Keynes.
For Albon or Ricciardo to get a seat, Sergio Perez has to perform poorly. But as things stand, the Mexican is not showing any signs of weakness.
