The situation at Red Bull regarding their driver lineup grows dire with each passing race. Despite climbing the podium on four occasions, Sergio Perez has mostly failed to deliver this season. As question marks grow on his future with Red Bull, several in-house drivers are lining up to grab the seat. Noting the same, veteran F1 Journalist Joe Saward wonders how the Austrian team would work things out with one “too many bums” wanting to get comfortable in a Red Bull car.
Until Perez’s future remains secure owing to his two-year contract, Daniel Ricciardo, Liam Lawson, and Yuki Tsunoda are all fighting for a driving role with Visa Cash App RB. Three drivers and two cars don’t add up, and Saward pointed the same out in his online blog – Green Notebook a few days ago.
“We have to wait and see how Red Bull solves the VCARB three-into-one-doesn’t-go problem they have created with Yuki Tsunoda, Daniel Ricciardo and Lim Lawson having one too many bums for the seats available. But that could be solved if Red Bull was to run out of patience with Sergio Perez.”
However, the momentum might soon shift, with all three of the V-CARB drivers potentially finding a seat. Sergio Perez faced a tough time in the Qualifying session in Silverstone on Saturday, beaching his car in the gravel in Q1. The incident resulted in him Qualifying P19 for the Grand Prix. As such, Daniel Ricciardo has his chances improved of getting the Red Bull seat back.
| Sergio Perez is in danger of losing his seat at Red Bull.
If Ricciardo can confirm the recent upward trend at Silverstone, Budapest and Spa and Perez does not improve significantly, Daniel could replace the Mexican in 2025.
“We’ll know more by the summer break,” says… pic.twitter.com/BMVWV3K9CO
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 5, 2024
Having already driven for Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen, Ricciardo knows what to expect from the Dutchman. Additionally, his presence in the paddock positively influences the team, which would help given everything they have been through in 2024. However, there might still be a hiccup in Ricciardo’s road to Red Bull, with Perez believing he can still turn things around.
Sergio Perez is not ready to throw in the towel
Despite all the noise, Sergio Perez insisted that all talks about his future were “done and dusted.” With a new two-year contract extension signed, the Mexican driver remains confident of turning things around. Having beached his car in the gravel in Q1 at Silverstone, Perez came under added fire, but the Mexican driver remained adamant with his words.
A mistake that hurts me a lot for my whole team. Tomorrow is a new opportunity, and the important thing is to never give up.
Un error que me duele mucho por todo mi equipo, mañana es una nueva oportunidad y lo importante es nunca darnos por vencidos.#NeverGiveUp pic.twitter.com/OppoeJYjqs
— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) July 6, 2024
Meanwhile, Perez’s early exit from the British GP Qualifying drew a disappointed shake of the head from Christian Horner, which might not bode well. A new contract comes with added pressure on the #11 driver, with performance-based clauses playing a role.
To add to it all, Helmut Marko has yet to fully rule out a potential switch with Daniel Ricciardo. But Perez isn’t focusing on any of that. The Mexican maintains his entire focus remains on the job, and it is only a matter of time before he turns things around.
