Verstappen deserves a better teammate at Red Bull Racing in 2025

After the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the average difference in qualifying between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez is up to 0.486s. In Las Vegas, Perez was more than eight-tenths slower than Verstappen before he was knocked out of the fight. Eight-tenths was also the gape when Perez was eliminated earlier in Mexico and Singapore.

It is a reoccurring trend that Perez can not keep up.  Perez has always been far from Verstappen, but in 2024 the gap has only gotten worse between the two. No other driver is losing to his teammate by such a wide margin in qualifying every week. Even the already-sacked Daniel Ricciardo and Logan Sargeant outperformed their teammate by 0.190s and 0.324s before they were dismissed from their teams. 

At the back of the grid, the gamble to keep an underperforming driver can be made. However, at the top, the difference is astounding. Red Bull Racing's rivals see their drivers no further apart than two-tenths on Saturday. At McLaren, the difference between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri is the biggest, at 0.175s. At Mercedes, the difference is 0.106s, and at Ferrari, it is only 0.018s.

Who can replace Perez at Red Bull Racing?

On the one hand, small differences can cause slight issues with the drivers fighting against each other. Unfortunately for Verstappen, he has been the only one fighting this year. The difference between Perez and Verstappen is an extreme one. Perez is so much further behind Verstappen that he offers nothing to the team. This was heavily reflected in Las Vegas. Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren all had both drivers close to the start of the grid. Red Bull didn't. 

Verstappen is always on his own during the race, as Perez is usually busy fighting his way from the bottom. While Verstappen was able to win the World Drivers' Championship, he won't be able to win the constructors' championship. Verstappen can not win that title by himself. Perez continuously hurts the team when he places outside the top five. He is no longer Red Bull material and it shows. 

The message for Red Bull is a clear one. Verstappen deserves better than this. Red Bull does not need two drivers of the same calibare. But they could at least give Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda, or Franco Colapinto a chance. Verstappen deserves better.

This article was translated by Savannah Lenz.