Imagine being in the fastest car on the grid & yet failing to be in the top 2! Sergio Perez has been that enigma this season in F1. Red Bull would have expected a lot more out of Checo given this is his third season with the team. After showing a promising upturn last season, 2023 was supposed to be the year when Sergio really hit his stride at Milton Keynes. Instead, his drastic fall from grace has fueled speculation about drivers like Lando Norris or Daniel Ricciardo taking his seat.
Off late, Lando Norris has got a renewed sense of vigor with McLaren’s turnaround. The Briton has got four podium finishes (all 2nd place finishes) in the last seven races. Yes, a driver who pitted a whopping six times in the Bahrain season opener this year because of various issues! It’s unbelievable from Lando. Although, what’s more shocking is that, according to The Race, Perez has the same number of P2 finishes as Norris. Let that digest down…
Checo Perez in an RB19 has finished runner-up in the races only four times this year. The four podiums came in Bahrain, Miami, Belgium, & Italy. Perez is certainly not helping his case to convince Red Bull to not drop him with this kind of inconsistency. Meanwhile, Lando Norris has been on a rampage ever since McLaren got upgrades in Austria.
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Read More: “Cars Are the Same”: Sergio Perez Gets No Sympathy From Max Verstappen as Embarrassment Continues
Finishing P2 in Silverstone, Hungary, Singapore & Japan, Norris seems the closest challenger to Max Verstappen week in, week out now, in a McLaren MCL60! It’s a big Red Alert for Checo. Amid all this, fans have jumped on the bandwagon to leverage this embarrassing stat into speculating about Norris’ move to Red Bull.
“Either Checo cracks…” – Fans push awful move for Sergio Perez as Lando Norris rumors pick up
Several fans commented on The Race’s Instagram post about this terrible statistic for Sergio Perez. So if Red Bull decides to break the bank for Norris, he won’t mind signing on the dotted lines to partner Verstappen. It elated fans in the comments of this post just fantasizing about this scenario.
“Norris to red bull would be fun”
“should have been a 1-2 the whole season with that car.. either checo cracks under pressure or Helmut Marko is cooking again”
Obviously, everyone will think if Verstappen can get 10 consecutive wins, then why can’t Checo finish P2 more often in the same car?
“And Perez has double the points as Norris”
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“Embarrassing for Perez, he should have at least 10”
The RB19 has been one of the most dominant cars any team has ever produced. Thus, this anomaly & inconsistency in the Mexican’s performances is hurting his reputation big time.
“Mclaren was no where at start of the season where as the Redbulls been a second a lap faster than anything”
Meanwhile, Lando Norris would love to stay at McLaren, given their rise in form. Although, crazier moves have happened in F1.
“Which is why Red Bull need to sack Perez and get Norris in the car! Far better driver than the has been.”
Naturally, some fans also took Checo’s side, dissing the crucial feather missing in Lando’s cap – Wins… *Shots fired*
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“Yeah but how many race wins does Norris have overall”
“Perez also has more wins in a midfield car than Norris”
Anyway, Norris may break his duck of victories soon, if McLaren carries on the same trajectory. And just in case, Red Bull goes for the kill against the Woking team to get their starman for 2024 – let alone the wins, Lando could take on his best buddy Max in a title battle. That would be sweet!
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WATCH THIS STORY | How Lando Norris Had a Chance to Go to Red Bull But Instead Chose McLaren
What do you think? Will Checo lose his seat to Norris over his inconsistency & underperformance?