Sergio Perez’s failure to finish second in this year’s Drivers’ Championship could provide Red Bull with the
“ammunition” it needs to replace him.
Perez leads Lewis Hamilton by 20 points in the Drivers’ Championship, despite the fact that Max Verstappen won
the title with a points tally more than double anybody else’s, with the Mexican’s lead over the Mercedes driver
dwindling owing to a bad run of races.
There have been numerous rumors concerning Perez’s future with Red Bull, but he officially has the support of
senior management to remain in the seat through 2024, the final year of his contract with Milton Keynes.
One of the rumors concerning Perez is based on his championship position, with Red Bull aiming for a 1-2 in the
Drivers’ Championship for the first time in history – a feat that Verstappen’s form implies should have been easy to
accomplish.
However, Perez’s problems, particularly with Daniel Ricciardo back to the Red Bull fold with AlphaTauri, raise the
chance of the Mexican being demoted in a driver swap – especially if he fails to finish second position.
While team president Christian Horner has stressed that there is no hard and fast deadline for Perez, Sky Sports
News journalist Craig Slater believes that failing to acquire the role might provide Red Bull with all the ammunition
they need to justify a relegation.
“It has become more of a thing this year, the one-two, because they didn’t do it last year,” Slater stated on the Sky F1 podcast following the Mexican GP.
“But this year, there has been something, and if they wanted a reason and are actually lining up Ricciardo, or if
they’re coming around to the idea that Ricciardo was their preferred option in the vehicle, it offers them
ammunition, doesn’t it?
“To depict it as a reasonable course of action if he does not get the second position. It’s not like there’s been a strong
second force in F1 this year; at various moments, different vehicles have led the charge to get close to Red Bull.”
