Ruthless Red Bull driver program now a shadow of itself
Red Bull's decision to retain Sergio Perez shows that the Austrian team is no longer making tough calls on its drivers.
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Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)
Red Bull Racing is known to have a no tolerance policy in Formula 1. Ever since joining the F1 grid in 2005, the Austrian team made some harsh calls on its driver line-up in a bid to maximize results. However, it seems that things have changed almost two decades later.
Sergio Perez was the first non-Red Bull driver in a decade to be signed by Milton Keynes in 2021. The Mexican driver was brought in by the Austrian team after it ran out of options to find a good teammate for Max Verstappen.
Now, Perez is in his fourth season at Red Bull. The Mexican driver has never truly matched Verstappen throughout his tenure at the Austrian team. Nevertheless, Checo managed to secure a two-year extension and now Red Bull has affirmed that the 34-year-old will continue for the foreseeable future.
Red Bull no longer making hard calls on its drivers
Red Bull has made tough driver calls throughout its F1 history. Pierre Gasly was demoted from Red Bull after just half a season alongside Max Verstappen. While Alex Albon was forced out of the grid altogether at the end of 2021. This was also the case for its sister team, with Nyck de Vries being shown the door after less than half a season last year.
Moreover, such decisions happened even a decade ago. Daniil Kvyat was demoted from Red Bull to Toro Rosso after four races into 2016 to make way for Max Verstappen. Moreover, Jean Eric Vergne, a driver who went on to win Formula E twice, was never given a chance to race for Milton Keynes.
There are no doubts that Red Bull was infamous for its decision making surrounding drivers. However, that seems to no longer be the case. Sergio Perez has somehow been kept at the team despite his performances causing Red Bull to lose ground in the Constructors’ championship. One could argue that the team has less faith in Daniel Ricciardo. However, even if that was the case, the Red Bull of old would’ve even tried to give Liam Lawson a chance.
Red Bull has changed its philosophy over driver management. Perhaps this has more to do with Perez’s healthy relationship with Max Verstappen. However, this could backfire as the team has now went through four races without a victory. It remains to be seen if Sergio Perez can finally deliver after the summer break.
In case you missed it:
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- Max Verstappen on the backfoot in title fight for the first time in three years
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Armaan Agarwal
(2367 Articles Published)