The most dominant team on the F1 track, Red Bull Racing, is actively looking for a new driver to drive alongside reigning champion Max Verstappen. Sergio Perez’s contract runs through this season, and he most likely won’t be coming back next season in the blue suit.
That being said, with the drivers market unnaturally active at this time of the year, Red Bull was believed to have been approached by two F1 megastars enquiring about the availability of a second seat alongside Max Verstappen. However, an F1 pundit claimed that both these stars’ bids were seemingly rejected by the drink-based team.
‘Hamilton And Alonso Both Tried For Red Bull Seat’ Claims Mark Hughes!
In an interesting take, F1 pundit Mark Hughes went on to claim that Red Bull Racing rejected former champions Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso’s bid to replace Sergio Perez in the second seat. Hughes replied to a tweet saying that prominent drivers like Lando Norris, Fernando Alonso, Charles Leclerc, and Lewis Hamilton denied Red Bull’s second seat offer as they were scared to drive alongside Max Verstappen. However, Hughes shut down the claim, saying that neither Leclerc, Hamilton, nor Alonso were approached by the drink-based team. In fact, Hamilton and Alonso themselves went forward to contest for a seat. However, the duo was apparently denied an opportunity by the Milton Keynes-based team.
That being said, both Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton ended up securing their future as promising rival contenders. While Alonso extended his stay at Aston Martin until 2026, Hamilton broke up his 13-year partnership with Mercedes to join Ferrari on a multi-year contract. Aston Martin’s upcoming partnership with Honda lured Alonso into extending his stay in the sport until he turned 45. On the other hand, Hamilton, frustrated with the Silver Arrow’s unprecedented downfall, jumped ships to live his childhood dream of driving the red car. Having said that, the Red Bull second seat is still up for grabs. While extension negotiations with Checo are ongoing, they are unlikely to materialize given the Mexican driver’s age and past season’s performance. The Bulls need the two best drivers on the grid fighting next to each other, and currently, Perez is nowhere close to Verstappen’s level of competitiveness.
Sergio Perez Expects A Decision On His Future By Next Month!
Mexican driver Sergio Perez’s future with Red Bull is up in the air as his contract expires this year. After a horror stint in 2023, Checo managed to bounce back fairly this year. However, he is still no match for Max Verstappen, who is literally ruling the sport like never before.
While Checo’s contract extension is up for discussion, he isn’t very positive about the outcome. In a recent interview, he said that Red Bull could make a decision on his future as early as next month. While he has no idea what the future holds for him in F1, Checo said he is proud of what he’s managed to achieve in his racing career so far.
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