Verstappen tied to Perez for longer: Will Max be left to his own?

Perez is in his fourth season for Red Bull Racing and so far has been unable to completely dispel any doubts surrounding his position. He came in as the experienced driver in 2021 and was clearly a step up from the inexperienced Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon, but is he the optimal second driver for Red Bull Racing?

That question already surfaced in 2021 when the constructors' title went to Mercedes. The world drivers' title went to Max Verstappen, but Valtteri Bottas scored more points on behalf of Mercedes than Perez for Red Bull Racing. That year, Perez still had the excuse that it was his first season with the team and impressed especially with his performance in Abu Dhabi.

Perez need to get closer again to Verstappen

In 2022, Perez continued the streak. Especially at the beginning of the season, Perez did feel good in the car, winning in Monaco and Singapore and helping Red Bull Racing to their first constructors' title since 2013. Perez again missed out on second place among drivers despite an extremely dominant car.

In early 2023, Perez seemed to have taken another step forward. The Mexican got off to an excellent start with two wins in the first four Grands Prix. After winning in Azerbaijan, Perez even claimed he wanted to compete for the world title. What followed is well-known. Verstappen snapped his teammate with a phenomenal overtaking race in Miami, after which Perez failed to qualify or finish ahead of Verstappen in the race.

Although Perez did still finish second in the drivers' championship in 2023, concerns about his position increased. The gap to Verstappen widened again, with Ferrari and McLaren getting closer and closer. In 2024, that trend continued, with Perez now in fifth place in the world championship. Ferrari certainly do not have a better car than Red Bull Racing, but Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz are both ahead of Perez in the championship, the same goes for Lando Norris on behalf of McLaren.

Why Verstappen deserves a better teammate

In the battle with Ferrari and McLaren, it is increasingly noticeable that Verstappen is on his own. Perez too often, especially in qualifying, does not yield. Whereas Verstappen can still keep his head above water and come a long way in the drivers' championship now, Red Bull Racing seems to be in trouble in the constructors' championship anyway.

If you compare Perez to Sainz, Leclerc, Lando Norris or even young Oscar Piastri, few will rate Perez higher. So in a championship that is becoming increasingly exciting, you would expect Red Bull to look for a better driver than Perez. However, they opt for certainty and consistency. Standing still, however, equals going backwards.

Indeed, with Sainz, a better option seemed available. Sainz might not be eager to step in alongside Verstappen, but as Red Bull being Red Bull, you would still want to do everything possible to form the strongest possible duo. With Sainz, that would have been possible. Yuki Tsunoda is also showing more and more at VCARB, but the Japanese has never been seriously in Christian Horner's sights.

It suggests that Horner does not take the current situation seriously enough, or at least thinks that with Perez in the second car, he can just become world champion. The future will show whether Horner is right about that. In any case, it ensures that Max Verstappen will be on his own again in 2025.