Should Perez fear for his place? Marko talks about succession
F1 News
- Toby McLuskie
Sergio Perez is in his third season at Red Bull Racing. Despite some disappointing results in recent weeks, the now 33-year-old Mexican would not be in question at the Austrian team. Yet Helmut Marko, Red Bull adviser, is now talking about a period after Perez for the first time.
Daniel Ricciardo is currently third driver at Red Bull Racing and would love to make his return to Formula 1 with the Austrian after a (forced) sabbatical. Problem: Sergio Perez is in the cockpit of the second Red Bull car. Moreover, Ricciardo has had a difficult period himself. At McLaren, results were not as hoped, which forced the English team to part ways with the Australian last winter.
Ricciardo three days in the Red Bull
Soon, Ricciardo gets to show how fast he still is when he takes part in a Pirelli test. "We will have Ricciardo in the car for three days after Silverstone for the tyre test and then you can evaluate where Ricciardo really stands," Marko told ORF. He added: "His original goal [of Perez] was to stay [at Red Bull] for two or three years, so it would be more than planned. And you just have to keep your options open in terms of successor."
Sergio Perez also has a contract with Red Bull Racing for the '24 season. Yuki Tsunoda, who broke through permanently at AlphaTauri this season, is widely seen as a possible successor to Perez. Franz Tost, outgoing team boss of AlphaTauri, already indicated that Tsunoda would need at least one more year with the Italians before he could possibly be good enough for a move to Red Bull. Moreover, when Ricciardo was recruited, Red Bull revealed that the Australian had not come to replace Perez.