Sergio Perez has not had the best season so far. Even after being in the same car as the three-time champion, the driver has failed to perform. Although he won two races and has been second in the Standings, the show he has put on his Red Bull bosses unimpressed.
With Horner asking for Perez to get his form back and Helmut Marko done with his shenanigans, he gets denied yet another plea at Red Bull.
Sergio Perez recently pleaded with Red Bull to let him drive the pre-Barcelona spec RB19. However, he was rejected for the role entirely. With his undermining performance in the season, his last hope to get to Red Bull’s good side was completely demolished.
After his plea to drive the older version of the RB19 which was a championship-winning car, the driver seemed to have reached all dead ends.
🚨 Checo had requested to drive the pre-Barcelona spec RB19 but this was not granted by Red Bull as no team brings 2 different cars
[#AMuS] #F1 pic.twitter.com/rCPGoy7Cwy
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) October 13, 2023
With very clear motives to try to get back to the top and hopefully increase the gap between him and Sir Lewis Hamilton, the driver’s requests remain unanswered. The new RB19 that has brought Red Bull more than 13 victories and Verstappen a third title has not worked out for Checo in the same way.
With that and his consistently poor performances in the recent races the driver worrying over a mid-season replacement.
Has Sergio Perez become a problem for the Red Bull team?
Sergio Perez was recently compared to George Russell. The Mercedes driver who started from the pits like Perez earned a P4 with a comparatively low-quality car. Nonetheless, he presides in the second place. But with recent bad performances, how long can he hold the place? Lewis Hamilton has slowly crept near the Mexican. By winning only podiums the entire season, Mercedes has come close to Red Bull yet again.
With Red Bull enjoying their recent newfound glory, Hamilton’s takeover can leave Perez in a horrible mess. Karun Chandhok, former Indian driver and Sky Sports reporter said, ” I think Perez is a problem. The margins between the riders will get tighter and tighter. It’s something we see in every regulation cycle, the best will earn less and less over the others.”
đź“°:Karun Chandhok predicts an intense battle for the 2nd seat at Red Bull between Sergio Perez & Daniel Ricciardo in 2023 F1 season. Ricciardo’s return may put pressure on Perez, but a permanent comeback may only happen if he can be evaluated in Red Bull’s current cars #F1 pic.twitter.com/QOFgT2FpNw
— F1 Naija (@f1_naija) January 24, 2023
He was quick to mention just how problematic Checo’s performance has been. And as time goes on, the regulation changes and margins will need Red Bull to have two reliable drivers. Red Bull has relied and put all their faith in Max Verstappen. However, this cannot continue for too long which will see Perez’s possible replacement in case no promising performance is seen further.