Despite sitting second in the drivers’ standings, Sergio Perez is under real pressure to retain his Red Bull seat. According to reports, the Mexican needs to finish at least second in his next five races to remain as Max Verstappen’s teammate next season.
With Red Bull and Max Verstappen enjoying a dominant season, you would think that everything would be rosy in the Red Bull garden, but according to several reports, the Red Bull Hierarchy have issued an ultimatum to Sergio Perez that if he is to keep his seat with the team he needs to start performing.
According to Red Bull boss Christian Horner, Perez’s performances this season haven’t been up to scratch, and he has warned the Mexican that if he doesn’t finish inside the top two over the next five races, the team may be forced to look elsewhere.
With Verstappen having already wrapped up his third successive title and Red Bull wrapping up the 2023 Constructors Championship weeks ago, the spotlight is firmly on the Mexican driver. Here is everything you need to know about the Mexican’s current plight.
How do you solve a problem like Verstappen?
It isn’t a secret that this version of the Red Bull is one of the greatest cars in the history of the sport. For much of the year Red Bull have been in a complete class of their own and all their rivals have headed into racedays knowing that they are competing for second place.
Verstappen has enjoyed a truly historic season and betting sites like DraftKings sportsbook are fully expecting him to continue his dominance and win more races before the end of the season.
Not only he is on course to smash his overall points record, the Flying Dutchman broke the record for most consecutive wins, is on course to claim the most pole positions in a season and secure the biggest margin that a Championship has ever been won by.
Whilst nobody has been in Verstappen’s class, the 209-point gap between the Dutchman and Perez is simply too large. Verstappen has shown what this Red Bull can do, and it’s safe to say that Perez has been outclassed.
Despite winning two races at the beginning of the season, Perez has only secured eight podiums in comparison to Verstappen’s sixteen. In this Red Bull car he should be comfortably second in the overall standings, but both Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso remain within striking distance.
Yes, it’s incredibly harsh to compare Perez to the generational talents of Verstappen, but if he can’t lock up second place in the standings, questions will have to be asked.
Talented drivers are waiting in the wings
There are several quality drivers who are waiting in the wings ready to replace Perez.
Despite leaving Red Bull a few years ago, Daniel Ricciardo still has many supporters within the team and recently made a return as the team’s Reserve Driver.
Still devastatingly quick, Ricciardo is one of the most talented drivers on the grid and is immensely popular all over the world. If Perez is to be removed, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Ricciardo take his place.
Other names to keep an eye on are Liam Lawson and Japanese star Yuki Tsunoda who has enjoyed a solid season for Alpha Tauri.
Red Bull know the gap is closing
As is the way with Formula 1, no team ever remains dominant for long and as the season has gone on, several teams look to be closing the gap.
Red Bull’s main rivals for next season could be McLaren. The English based team have two extremely exciting drivers in Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri and both look ready to lay down a serious challenge to Verstappen’s crown next season.
Piastri showed exactly why he is so highly regarded when he swept to victory at the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he found himself competing for more podiums before the end of the year.
Mercedes and Ferrari have declared that they are already focusing their efforts on next year’s challenge.
Sitting second and third in the constructor’s standings, it’s safe to say that both teams have been desperately unhappy with their current car. In patches this season the performance has been there, and if they can make the necessary upgrades, they could finally be ready to lay down a serious challenge.
With their rivals closing, Red Bull need to head into 2024 with two solid drivers. Perez isn’t holding up his end of the bargain and will need to convince his bosses that he can contribute on a much bigger level if he is to remain on the team next season.
