Recently, a massive debate has erupted in the F1 community. The topic of discussion is – why did Red Bull retain Sergio Perez? As always, the audience is divided. One side believes that Red Bull did the right thing by keeping Perez; he deserved a second chance. The other side hasn’t welcomed the decision. According to them, Checo in Red Bull isn’t working at all. A new driver should’ve got his fair chance.

But it looks like Christian Horner’s team isn’t ready to alter the setup, even though every time Perez drops out of the top 5 or retires in the race, Red Bull misses out on crucial points. To win the constructors’ title, both drivers must deliver. Even Horner knows and understands that their strategy with Perez isn’t being executed to the tee. Moreover, the pressure of being second to Max Verstappen could’ve pressurized the Mexican driver.

Now, the fans have taken the discussion to a new level. They’re not just questioning Red Bull’s decision, but also drawing a comparison between Sergio Perez, Pierre Gasly, and Alex Albon’s stint with the Austrian side. And it looks like the fans want Red Bull to understand what and where they are missing out.

Comparing the last 8 races of Sergio Perez, Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon

The math is simple. The driver with a better scoring average deserves to be on the top. But what’s surprising to notice here is that, while Red Bull is choosing to give multiple chances to Checo Perez, it didn’t even think twice before replacing the rookie drivers Gasly and Albon. Maybe the team is prioritizing experience rather than exuberance, but questions are bound to be raised. A fan on Reddit shared a detailed study of the race stats of Perez, Gasly, and Albon’s last 8 races at Red Bull. And the results are pretty shocking.

Pierre Gasly’s final 8 race results with Red Bull are as follows:

A whopping P6, P5, and P8 in Spain, Monaco, and Canada respectively. Followed by 10th in France, P7 in Austria, P4, P14, and P6 at Silverstone, Germany, and Hungary. Gasly also recorded the fastest lap in Monaco. With these results, he has accumulated 50 points, averaging a 7.5 finishing position and 6.25 points per race. Red Bull had the 3rd fastest car.

Alex Albon’s final 8 race results with Red Bull are as follows:

In the 2020 Formula 1 season, Alex Albon finished 10th in Russia, retired at the Eifel Grand Prix, was 12th in Portugal, 15th at Imola, 7th in Turkey, 3rd in Bahrain, 6th in Sakhir, and 4th in Abu Dhabi. He earned 42 points with an average finishing position of 8.14 (excluding retirements) and an average of 5.25 points per race (including retirements). Meanwhile, Red Bull had the second-fastest car.

Sergio Pérez’s disastrous last 8 races compared to Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly’s final 8 races at Red Bull Racing.
byu/JaysonDeflatum informula1

Sergio Perez’s final 8 race results with Red Bull are as follows:

Checo secured P8 in Imola, followed by a retirement in Monaco, due to his horrific collision with the two Haas cars. Another DNF in Canada, and a P8 in Spain. He secured P7, P17, P7, and another P7 in Austria, Silverstone, Hungary, and Belgium respectively. However, in Spa-Francorchamps, the Mexican set the fastest lap. This brings his total to 28. His average finishing position in races he completed is 9th. Including all races, his average points per race is 3.5. Red Bull had the fastest car in 4 out of these 8 races and was competitive, finishing 2nd or 3rd depending on the track.

This study has further divided the fans. Some are taking sides with Pierre Gasly, stating that Red Bull should’ve retained him for a while. But the others have been critical of the so-called harsh approach towards Perez. Let’s see what the fans had to say.

Fans note that Sergio Perez’s stats indicate he’s performing weaker compared to previous drivers

The F1 enthusiasts have stormed down the Reddit comment section. A fan wrote: “Gasly was definitely the best at the end of both his and Albon’s time at Red Bull, but when Albon replaced him he was very good. Got P4-P6 in every race bar 1 to end off the 2019 season.” If you go through the stats, you too might agree with this statement. However, the actual reason behind replacing Pierre was different. And a fan pointed that out: “Gasly’s sack wasn’t just performative. He had a falling out with his engineers. That’s why he was demoted mid-season and wasn’t given more time like the others.”

Meanwhile, an ardent F1 fan stated: “I don’t think there’s a real debate on whether Checo deserves to keep his seat. RBR’s precedent with Albon and Gasly shows it’s a shark tank. By all metrics, Checo should be gone. Should they have stuck with Albon or Gasly? Maybe, but it’s debatable if they could adapt to the car and rebuild confidence.” Red Bull could’ve experimented with Pierre and Alex, but it seemed they were in a rush to retain their top spot. However, the current situation isn’t helping either. What they had planned for this year was not executed due to Perez’s fiasco. Finally, a fan joked, “Mexicans must be drinking a lot of Red Bull.” 

Is it true that a Mexican connection saved Perez from losing his seat? Why did Red Bull give Sergio Perez a chance? Let’s find out.

The rumored lifeline behind Sergio Perez’s stay at Red Bull

Right after the Belgian GP, Christian Horner met his team at the headquarters to decide on Sergio Perez’s fate. Rumors suggest the team boss didn’t want to keep the 34-year-old in his squad. However, a special intervention rescued Checo’s career. It was the intervention of Liberty Media and F1 president Stefano Domenicali who reportedly asked Red Bull to “reconsider the dismissal” of Sergio Perez for economic reasons. What economic reasons?

Perez is Mexico’s hero. Thanks to him, the sport is widely viewed and respected in the country. A massive chunk of revenue comes from Mexico. Domenicalli feared that with Perez’s dismissal, business in the country would receive a major blow thus significantly reducing the revenue collection. Now you may wonder, is F1 all about bling and cha-ching? To a large extent, yes. This is because the drivers, with a good amount of sponsors, bring along with them great deals profitable for the sport. And in return, fans want their favorite stars to be on the grid. Moreover, Checo’s connection with his people is very close, so the higher-ups didn’t want to risk it all, for now.

The debate over Sergio Perez’s seat at Red Bull highlights bigger issues within the team and F1. Despite criticism and comparisons to past drivers like Gasly and Albon, Perez’s retention might have been influenced by economic factors and his importance to Red Bull’s market in Mexico. The decision to keep him reflects a balance of competitive and business interests, showing the complex nature of driver selections in Formula 1.