'If I was Perez, I'd be worried and be very uncomfortable'
F1 News
- Ludo van Denderen
Time and again, team boss Christian Horner and advisor Helmut Marko say that Sergio Perez does not need not fear for losing his seat at Red Bull Racing. The more often they say it, the more the media speculates whether the Mexican is indeed so assured of his seat, even in 2024. Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert is convinced Perez is worried about his future at the Austrian team.
Herbert is what you might call an expert by experience. During his own F1 career, he was a teammate of Michael Schumacher, at the time the absolute top driver in the sport. At Schumacher's side, everyone paled, including Herbert in 1995. While Schumacher was on his way to win his second world title, Herbert had a much harder time putting the fast Benetton on the podium. The Briton only reached the top three four times (including two victories), while Schumacher won nine Grands Prix with the same car.
Herbert knows the pressure
Although there was no social media back then and a lot fewer journalists than now were walking through the paddock, Herbert too must have felt the pressure. He too heard the rumours that Benetton was considering sidelining him in favour of - how ironic - Jos Verstappen. A win at the Monza circuit made Benetton regain confidence in Herbert, after which he could still finish the season. At the end of the season, by the way, the team parted ways with the Briton after all.
So Herbert can understand exactly what Sergio Perez is going through at the moment. The Mexican is also in the best car on the grid, has the by far best driver as his teammate and his own performance is inconsistent. While Verstappen keeps winning, Perez is struggling to get the Red Bull on the podium. As in the past with Herbert, there are constant rumours about Perez's future with the championship team.
'Verstappen is not being challenged'
Fact is: Verstappen is always well ahead of Perez in normal circumstances (i.e. without penalties, for example). "It's alarming for Perez," Herbert tells OLBG. "You don’t want to be that far away from your teammate for sure. If I was Perez, I’d be worried and very uncomfortable. Verstappen is very happy with the situation because he’s not under pressure or being challenged in any way, but Red Bull know they’ll need someone that will be consistently at the top when the other teams get more competitive"
Therefore, Herbert reiterates: "If I was Perez, I'd be worried and very uncomfortable. He might think he’s done a good job in qualifying and they put the screen in front of you and you think 'oh, god I'm still miles off - what do I need to do?' We're halfway through the season and he's still not able to find that extra speed, there may be certain races when he can, but he can't find the consistency like Verstappen. Only Perez can turn things around."
Media have been speculating for some time as to who might replace Perez. The names of Daniel Ricciardo and Tsunoda have been dropped at times. Herbert is thinking of another driver, also mentioned regularly already: "They could look at Lando Norris - I don't know if he can get out of his contract or if there's a performance clause. I don't see why Charles Leclerc or Carlos Sainz would like to leave Ferrari, I know there are some frustrations but there's a big risk factor to consider when it comes to joining Red Bull because Verstappen is there, he's not an easy person to go up against."