Sergio Perez is ‘under real threat’ of losing F1 seat despite Red Bull’s assurances, claims F1 pundit
Johnny Herbert insists that Sergio Perez is in danger of losing his Red Bull seat despite assurances by the team.
Sergio Perez, (image via Racingnews365)
Sergio Perez joined Red Bull in 2021 and has consistently delivered decent results. The Mexican driver solidified his place as a good number 2 to Max Verstappen. However, he shifted the focus to defeating his two-time world champion teammate in 2023, creating tensions within the team. Now F1 pundit Johnny Herbert has come up claiming that the 33-year-old could lose his driver with his current slump in performance.
Herbert accepted that favoritism is common in F1, as is the case at Red Bull with Max Verstappen. As the team focuses on drivers who deliver consistently. However, Johnny acknowledged that Perez was right up there with Max at the start of the season before falling behind in recent rounds. The Mexican driver has only won two races so far compared to five by his teammate.
Milton Keynes has stated that Sergio’s seat is safe at the team despite recent performances. However, the 58-year-old is not so convinced by the Austrian team. Herbert is convinced that Perez is in danger of losing his seat at the pinnacle of motorsport. He said, “I would say he is under threat”. The former F1 driver believed Checo was good at playing second fiddle to Verstappen.
“When he is on his game he can win. Even then he would be second or third and that will still enable Red Bull to win the constructors’ championship which is obviously very important,” He added.
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Herbert names potential picks to Replace Sergio Perez
The Briton believed Sergio was not the driver who could push Max at Red Bull. The 58-year-old was convinced that Milton Keynes would have to sign the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, or Lando Norris to have two formidable teammates. While Perez acted as the best driver to help the team win the Constructors’ World title.
“Lando Norris has a long-term contract with McLaren, and I don’t know if he has a performance clause in it to move from McLaren. I think it would be a good move for Red Bull. It would add positivity to the team, and I think he is more than capable of being able to deal with that position,” He said.
Johnny Herbert named Norris as the ideal candidate to replace the Mexican driver. Herbert insisted that such a move could bring a morale boost to Milton Keynes as it would sign another exciting young talent. Albeit Lando is on a long-term deal with McLaren and previously did have talks with Red Bull before opting to continue his stay at Woking.
Thus, Johnny Herbert is confident that Sergio Perez is under pressure to perform at Red Bull. The Mexican driver might be shown the door by the Austrian team if he fails to improve his results. As such, it is on the 33-year-old to give his best in the upcoming season rounds to prove his worth to Milton Keynes and demonstrate his talent against Max Verstappen.
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Armaan Agarwal
(2310 Articles Published)