The British Grand Prix was tough for Sergio Perez, who only got 15 points in his last six races.
Even though he has a two-year deal with Red Bull, people are questioning if it was the right choice. Martin Brundle talked about this on the Sky Sports F1 podcast and discussed why Red Bull is keeping him and who might replace him if things don’t improve.
Last season, Red Bull dominated almost every race. But this year, three other teams have won races too. On the podcast, Brundle said watching Perez finish P17 at Silverstone was “painful.” The pressure is mounting as Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes close in on the top teams.
Pressure Mounting on Perez
Brundle explained that when Red Bull had a super-fast car, Perez could be a few tenths behind Max without issues. Now with more competition from McLaren and Mercedes cars filling the gap between him and Max, the pressure is getting to him. “And that pressure is then just making it far worse. And he’s having incidents left, right and centre,” Brundle noted.
Red Bull hasn’t rushed to replace Verstappen’s teammates before; they gave Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon time even though they performed better than Perez currently is. But Brundle thinks there’s a reason for not dropping Perez yet: “We know he’s commercially attractive to them,” he said. With sponsorships linked to North and South America and the Mexican Grand Prix coming up, keeping Perez makes sense for business reasons. If he didn’t have these commercial ties, they might have replaced him already.
Who Could Replace Perez at Red Bull?
Despite his marketability and decent 2023 season finishing second in Driver’s standings, Brundle believes Red Bull might soon face tough decisions about Perez’s future. It’s not an easy call: “It’s a head-scratcher for Red Bull,” said Brundle.
Yuki Tsunoda doesn’t seem ready to step up anytime soon, and Daniel Ricciardo is struggling to keep his seat let alone move up to the top team.
But there might be one good option: Liam Lawson. He’s testing the latest car this week. According to Brundle: “Max likes a car all over the front end… [Lawson] has the talent to cope with that so that’s worth trying.” He suggested giving Lawson a chance could be worthwhile since he seems mentally strong enough for it.
Fans may wonder if it’s time for fresh blood in Red Bull’s lineup
So what do you think? Should Red Bull stick with Perez or try someone new?
