NETHERLANDS: Sergio Perez’s tenure with the Red Bull Racing team is facing uncertainty, and former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher has pointed a finger at the team’s management as a possible cause for Perez’s recent struggles. Schumacher has highlighted Helmut Marko’s “not warm-hearted way of dealing with Perez” as a factor in the Mexican driver’s slump.
Perez’s challenges this season have been evident, with a series of disappointing qualifying sessions early in the year taking him out of contention for the championship race.
Even when he managed to secure a better starting position, his teammate Max Verstappen’s dominance kept momentum firmly on the Dutchman’s side.
As the points gap between Perez and Verstappen continues to widen—139 points according to recent tallies—Red Bull’s top brass, Marko and Christian Horner, are seemingly at odds about Perez’s future.
While Horner asserts that Perez will retain his seat in 2024, Marko’s statements about uncertainties in Formula 1 and performance-related discussions suggest a more complex situation.
Ralf Schumacher has sided with Marko’s perspective, suggesting that Perez’s performance may have been affected by the team’s management style. Schumacher noted Perez’s recent mistakes on the track and his general demeanor, speculating that “Perez as a guy can’t deal with that so well.”
Schumacher even went as far as predicting an impending separation between Perez and Red Bull after this season. Should Perez indeed part ways with Red Bull, the team has various options to consider.
Candidates within the Red Bull junior program include Yuki Tsunoda, Daniel Ricciardo, and Liam Lawson. While Lawson’s recent debut garnered attention, Schumacher believes he’s more suited for AlphaTauri.
Intriguingly, Schumacher envisions McLaren’s Lando Norris as a potential replacement for Perez. Noting the apparent camaraderie between Norris and Verstappen, Schumacher speculated that Verstappen might have a say in choosing his teammate, a concept not unfamiliar in F1’s history.
However, Norris’s existing contract with McLaren through 2025 may present obstacles to such a partnership. As the F1 season continues to unfold, the uncertain future of Sergio Perez within the Red Bull team remains a topic of speculation and debate, adding an extra layer of intrigue to an already captivating championship race.
Also Read: Sergio Perez’s Miserable Monaco Grand Prix: A Weekend of Misfortune and Mistakes
