Sergio Perez had a really tough season last year. But he managed a second-place finish, thanks to the superior RB19 car. Albeit, the Mexican driver started the previous season brilliantly. He won two Grands Prix of the first four races in 2023. Both Red Bull drivers had a little gap between them. Moreover, the Mexican driver became the first F1 racer to win multiple Azerbaijan Grand Prix. However, things started going south for Checo since the Miami Grand Prix last year. He could not catch up to his teammate. Moreover, he failed miserably to do so. On the other hand, Max Verstappen became unstoppable. He went on to win 19 races last season. It is a record that is too hard to break even for the Dutch driver in the future.
But this level of dominance of his teammate did not help Checo’s cause. He went through depression, had to hire a mental coach to gain self-confidence. And most importantly, Sergio Perez had to constantly deal with the possibility of Red Bull firing and replacing him. Moreover, the Austrian team moved Daniel Ricciardo to their sister team to give him a much-needed opportunity to return to F1 racing. Hence, things were not favorable for the Mexican driver at all. But Red Bull decided to stick with him in 2024 as per his contract. However, what can Checo do to keep his Red Bull seat intact even in 2025?
Sergio Perez Need A Miracle To Stay In Red Bull Next Year
On January 26, this year, Checo turned 34. Clearly, the 2024 season will be a make-or-break year for him. There are just so many drivers lining up to become Max Verstappen’s teammate. However, Sergio Perez fans can argue that the Mexican driver helped Red Bull have their first-ever one-two finish at the end of an F1 season. But F1 stats show Max Verstappen outscored his teammate 575 to 285. It is a huge gap between the two drivers. Perhaps the former Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo moving to Alpha Tauri is a clear warning for Sergio Perez.
Celebrating some of @SChecoPerez
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) January 26, 2024
best moments in #F1🎂
Monaco GP 2022 🥇Azerbaijan GP 2021 🥇
Monza GP 2023 🥇 Baku GP 2023 🥇 pic.twitter.com/S6GsBY8iBn
He needs to step up his game this year. Otherwise, the Aussie will take his place. The Red Bull racing team on X wished Checo Happy Birthday and hoped that he would have a fantastic day. But Sergio Perez needs a fantastic year more so than ever. It would be 72 days to be exact for Checo to go right this year. But it won’t be an easy deal even for the Aussie to be teammates again with Max Verstappen. Ricciardo was Max’s teammate between 2016 and 2018. He felt the pressure because it was hard to catch up to the Dutch driver even when they did not have the fastest car.
Can The Smiling Aussie Perform Better Than Checo If He Replaces Him Eventually?
Daniel Ricciardo could never replicate the form he once showed during his first stint with Red Bull. Since then, his career has gone downhill. But he still hung on, moving from teams like McLaren to Red Bull again. And finally, he is driving for the sister team of the most dominant team in the current era. Even when Max Verstappen joined Red Bull as his teammate, Ricciardo found it hard to catch up to the young Dutch driver.
But now, Max is a three-time champion and a complete driver that Ricciardo can only imagine to be. Clearly, Max Verstappen is the favorite driver in the Austrian team because he constantly delivers. It might get even more difficult for the smiling Aussie to live up to expectations if he replaces Sergio Perez in Red Bull.
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