While most of the F1 world urges Red Bull to disown Sergio Perez, welcome to the positive side of the internet. The Mexican racer’s recent run, only getting 14 points in 6 races, compared to teammate Max Verstappen’s 119, has been disappointing. P17 at the British GP was especially disheartening. However, the same fans who denounced the Red Bull management for ruthlessly firing Perez’s two predecessors are now hypocritically demanding the same be done with him. At this undesirable junction, 2-time Le Mans winner Alexander Wurz has paid a touching homage to the 34-year-old.

Sergio Perez has his name in the history books of F1, courtesy of his legendary P20 to P1 at the 2020 Sakhir GP. His 2021 and 2022 stints with Red Bull were also successful, with him being the perfect ‘number 2’ for Max Verstappen. Because that is no longer the case, chants of him being ‘washed out’ are echoing on social media. Even his recent 2-year contract extension has been rendered pointless. Though Red Bull re-considering their decision to retain him is fair, the online abuse thrown at Perez is unacceptable.

Alexander Wurz, who also drove for 10 years in a pressure-filled F1 atmosphere, has sympathized with him. “I am not enjoying the chat about Checo because I wish him dearly the best,” Wurz said on the F1 Nation podcast. “I wish that he can actually recover, that he can come back and show us his real Checo style. But it’s tough. It’s tough and again, I don’t enjoy this because I appreciate him as a person. He is a great GPDA member. He loves the sport, and he has given a lot of the sport. Let’s go to Mexico. He brings in hundreds of thousands of people over there. He brings in millions of TV viewers. But unfortunately for him, performance is not on his side.”

Wurz’s heartfelt message for the Guadalajara-born racer comes as a breath of fresh air amid the wave of criticism. But surprisingly, rumors of VCARB’s Liam Lawson directly earning a Red Bull promotion to replace Perez have also emerged.

Christian Horner gives a clear verdict on Liam Lawson replacing Sergio Perez

Liam Lawson is set to test the RB20 at Silverstone on Thursday. The New Zealand driver, who debuted in 2023 to replace AlphaTauri’s (now VCARB) injured Daniel Ricciardo, will get around 200 km of track action. With Sergio Perez’s struggles in the background, could this serve as Lawson’s test to prove his mettle? Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner says no.

“The problem is if you read too much into these things,” Horner said after the British GP. “I’m actually doing a lap at Silverstone in the RB8 on Thursday as well. So you never know!” he joked. “No, in all seriousness, the Liam test, aero run, has been planned for a couple of months now,” the Red Bull boss added, brushing aside the Perez replacement rumors.

Sergio Perez has two more races before the summer break to prove his worth to Red Bull and revive his old competitive self. In 2023, the Hungarian GP and the Belgian GP were game-changers for him, with a P3, and a P2 respectively. If the more experienced driver in him shines through, a much-needed podium might not be out of the picture.