Being a teammate to Max Verstappen is always a tough job. Pierre Gasly speaks from experience as he sympathizes with Sergio Perez who is struggling to keep up with Max Verstappen in the same car.
In a recent interview, Pierre Gasly spoke about the difficulties that come along with being Max Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull.
“Never easy to go against probably the best driver at the moment, in combination with the best team, and a team that is fully around him. So it’s obviously a tough job. I mean, Checo did very well at the start of the season. Obviously, for some reasons, it’s not going as well now – reasons we don’t know. But, you know, I just wish him the best.”
🗣️| Pierre Gasly on being Max’s teammate:
“Never easy to go against probably the best driver at the moment, in combination with the best team, and a team that is fully around him. So it’s obviously a tough job.
“I mean, Checo did very well at the start of the season. Obviously,… pic.twitter.com/52nZaiEmEn
— RBR News 🇳🇱🇲🇽 (@redbulletin) November 9, 2023
Pierre Gasly replaced Daniel Ricciardo when he left Red Bull after the 2018 season. However, Pierre was not able to find success with the Red Bull. Halfway through the 2019 season, Gasly was replaced by Alex Albon who was replaced by Sergio Perez.
Checo has been with Red Bull since the 2021 season. Since then, he has not been able to match Max Verstappen’s pace. Although when the 2023 season first started, Perez’s pace looked to be strong. He won 2 races in the first 4 races. This gave fans confidence that he could challenge Max Verstappen. However, after the Monaco Grand Prix, Perez lost confidence in the car and it was all downhill from there.
Perez’s dip in performance has allowed Max Verstappen to extend his Championship lead by over 250 points. Even Lewis Hamilton has closed on Perez for 2nd place in the WDC. If Perez is not able to deliver in the remaining 2 races, he will be at risk of losing 2nd place to Lewis Hamilton.
Daniel Ricciardo to be the next Red Bull driver alongside Max Verstappen?
Since Sergio Perez started to underperform compared to Max Verstappen, there have been a number of rumors around the paddock. The most common rumor is that Perez will be replaced by Daniel Ricciardo. There were reports that this could happen before the 2024 season or at the start of the 2024 season. However, Christian Horner has put these rumors to bed stating that the 2024 Red Bull seat in Perez’s.
Although Sergio Perez has a contract with Red Bull until the end of the 2024 season, he will have to perform well if he wishes to extend his contract with the team. However, if he does not improve his performance, it is likely that he will be replaced by Daniel Ricciardo who is racing for AlphaTauri at the moment.
Daniel Ricciardo is back in a Red Bull ahead of the US Grand Prix next weekend 🤠 pic.twitter.com/pc2VFV5R4g
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) October 14, 2023
After leaving Red Bull in 2018, Ricciardo did not find much success with McLaren and Renault. He was dropped by McLaren after the 2022 season. However, he was picked up by his old team Red Bull as a reserve driver. After 10 races in the 2023 season, Ricciardo replaced Nyck de Vries at AphaTauri. Daniel has already delivered the team its best result so far this season.
Considering his performance with AlphaTauri, he seems like the most likely option for Red Bull to replace Sergio Perez. But do you think Red Bull will want to retain Perez after the 2024 season? Post your answers in the comments section below.