Verstappen Influences Teammate Selection at Red Bull Racing

Sergio Perez has had a tough time since the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

Despite his contract extension, he can’t seem to get the most out of his Red Bull car and struggles every week. Eddie Jordan thinks he knows why Perez can’t compete with Max Verstappen.

Max Verstappen is still very strong, even if Red Bull Racing isn’t as dominant as they were in 2023. He has won seven out of twelve races this season and always scores high points. Meanwhile, Perez’s last podium finish was at the Chinese Grand Prix.

“Nice guys don’t win anything, that’s the problem. And Checo was a nice guy. Can you imagine Checo in Lando’s position [in Austria]? He should have been fighting with Max [Verstappen], but he is not,” Eddie Jordan said on his podcast with David Coulthard, Formula for Success. He added: “And never will. And never could!”

‘Max wants Perez’

Perez is currently 137 points behind Verstappen in the drivers’ standings and sits in P6. The two Mercedes drivers are catching up due to their improved performance. If Perez doesn’t improve after the Hungarian and Belgian Grands Prix, Red Bull Racing might use a clause to let him go.

But Jordan believes that Max Verstappen would like to keep Perez as his teammate. “Max wants him in the team, and of course, if anyone has to consider, Max has a fair bit of say as to who his teammate is, and that’s very clear that he would prefer Checo in there than he would with Carlos Sainz.”

Fans might think it’s unfair that nice guys like Perez don’t get ahead.

What do you think about this situation?