F1 News
Debate | Red Bull should put Perez out of his misery
- Ludo van Denderen
Sergio Perez is clearly in a downward spiral after such a strong start to the season. Apart from his fans, nobody suspected that Perez could actually have a serious shot at the world title. Nor was it to be expected that things would be as extremely bad as they are now. Nothing seems to be working yet, and whether it will get any better? That is why GPblog comes up with the following proposition: Red Bull should put Perez out of his misery during the summer break.
Perez will not win the world championship in 2023. And let's be honest: with Max Verstappen as a teammate, it's not going to happen in '24 either. It will never happen. At times during a season, Perez shows that he can drive fast, but he simply isn't consistent enough. Especially when he has the best material on the grid. Red Bull will still regularly sit and watch in amazement as Perez falters, even though it puts him second in the championship.
Ricciardo is eager
Red Bull Racing once chose Perez because, as a solid driver, he would be the missing link in the battle for the constructors' world title. Meanwhile, Verstappen is so strong that he can almost single-handedly take that trophy for the Austrian team. Perez is actually no longer needed for that. Moreover, with Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull has someone waiting in the wings who can step straight into the RB19 if needed. Of course, the Australian did not impress in recent seasons either. But it can hardly be worse than Perez?
If Red Bull make the tough decision during the summer break to sideline Perez (despite a one-and-a-half-year ongoing contract), the next few months could see whether Ricciardo is good enough to take his place alongside Verstappen next season too. If he is not, then there is no man about it. As mentioned, Red Bull will become world champions in the constructors anyway.
So what about Perez? His self-confidence certainly took another big hit at Silverstone. So time to put him out of his misery? What do you think! Let us know in the comments and in our poll!