Everyone is aware of the ruthless nature of Formula 1 and Red Bull Racing’s hierarchy showcased it once again. The Austrian team fired Nyck De Vries and replaced him with Daniel Ricciardo after mere 10 races. The damage control from RBR might not be justified for some, however, there are some who believe the Austrian team isn’t being ruthless enough. There are many who believe that Red Bull should’ve also let go of Sergio Perez as well. In fact, there are experts who believe when push comes to shove, the Mexican driver isn’t capable of supporting Max Verstappen anymore.

The argument is Verstappen cannot continue like this for the rest of the season. Not on an individual performance level but F1 is a fickle sport and even the slightest errors can end any driver’s race prematurely. The RB19 might be near perfect but it will face difficulties during the course of the season. The hosts of The Fast and the Curious podcast discussed this exact scenario. This is exactly why they believe Ricciardo should’ve been occupying the second Red Bull seat.

Answering the question if this is a “practice run out for maybe getting the seat at Red Bull”, the host said, “Yes. I don’t believe this would’ve happened without Sergio Perez being on a terrible run of form. This is an every week thing at this moment, ‘Will Red Bull win every race?’ The reason I don’t think they will is because something will happen to Max at some point between now and the end of the season. Sergio just isn’t there to pick up the pieces.”

This scenario was apparent in Monaco GP after the light showers. The still-struggling McLaren was matching the RB19’s pace. In Canada, Ferrari was doing the same. These are signs Red Bull, at some point will get a reality check and Perez isn’t convincing anymore. However, the Mexican has the support of his team, so far.

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Sergio Perez backed to be a reliable number two to Max Verstappen and Co. despite the concerning run of form

The Mexican might be in extremely hot waters right now because of his consistent Q1 exits despite driving the fastest car on the grid. Despite that, Perez has the backing of the Red Bull bosses to turn the tide around and even support Verstappen in the coming race weekends.

Horner said, “Some of his moves in the race at Silverstone, particularly the one on Carlos Sainz at Stowe, were quite stunning. If we look at his pace in the last stint, he gave his best there. Sure it’s frustrating for him to have to come back and fight all the time but he just needs to sort out his qualifying on Saturday and as a team we will do our best to support him. I think that’s where the problem is, in sports, in all sports, 90% is in the head and I think he just needs a good run and he will find his momentum again”

Let’s hope Perez can pull up his socks and park his RB19 on the podium in the coming races. If this continues, who knows he might feel the sharp edge of the cut-throat Red Bull knife sooner than expected.

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