Sergio Perez driving for Red Bull proves that AlphaTauri is a failed project, claims Jaime Alguersuari

Daniel Ricciardo replaced Nyck De Vries after just ten races in 2023, which makes him the latest victim of Red Bull’s ruthless approach to driver-signing.

Sergio Perez driving for Red Bull proves that AlphaTauri is a failed project, claims Jaime Alguersuari

Jaime Alguersuari (Credits: Formula 1 Wiki-Fandom) Nyck De Vries (Credits: SBNation.com) and Sergio Perez (Credits: Daily Express)

The Red Bull Racing team is infamous for its aggressive policy towards its drivers. The recent ousting of Nyck De Vries from AlphaTauri is the latest incident in the long list of sacking done by the team. It previously occurred in the 2019 season with the successive removal of Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon. This has spotlighted the limited success of Red Bull’s ambitious junior team project.

Former Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) driver Jaime Alguersuari was sacked at the end of the season in 2011 despite beating his teammate and scoring seven top-10 finishes. Being one of the victims of Red Bull’s no-nonsense approach, Alguersuari had some brutally honest opinions to share about the team’s Junior Drivers project. In his recent Sky Sports F1 podcast appearance he highlighted how Red Bull’s Junior Team Program has failed since Max Verstappen’s teammate isn’t an academy graduate.

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According to Alguersuari, Red Bull’s plan for building the best drivers by giving them a chance at AlphaTauri does not make sense now. He says that for Red Bull to go out of their stables to hire Sergio Perez when they have invested huge amounts in junior drivers shows how much the program has failed.

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“The fact that Perez is driving for Red Bull shows the Red Bull junior team is not successful. The whole idea they told us and the media is they are building champions, or the best drivers they can, to give them an opportunity to drive for AlphaTauri in order for them to get experience,” he told Sky Sports.

In case you missed it: Christian Horner gives a brutally honest verdict on Red Bull sacking Nyck De Vries

Jaime Alguersuari slams Sergio Perez’s performances in the 2023 season

Sergio Perez
Sergio Perez (Credits: TheSportsRush)

The 2023 season is looking to be one to be forgotten for Sergio Perez. Even though he stands in second position, he is still 99 points behind his teammate Max Verstappen and is being closely followed by Fernando Alonso. Jaime Alguersuari has taken note of this dry run of performances of the Mexican and states that this is not to be expected of a Red Bull driver at this stage.

In light of Verstappen’s dominance, Alguersuari says that being on the podium is the bare minimum for Perez. He believes that currently, there are other drivers on the grid who can get much closer to Verstappen on the track. The former F1 driver added that there are many drivers on the grid that could do a better job that Perez.

“It’s not acceptable that Perez is always half a second or seven tenths slower. If your team-mate is winning all the races, you have to at least be on the podium, not on your best day being on the podium. You have to be closer otherwise they have the right to replace you. There are many drivers on the grid that could definitely be much closer to Max,” says Alguersuari.

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