Looks like Red Bull boss Christian Horner will be making a tough decision on replacing Sergio Perez. It has been a discussion since the summer break of the ongoing F1 season. Clearly, Checo failed to live up to expectations in 2023. Sergio Perez mentioned he hired a mental coach to gain self-confidence. Perhaps it helped him a bit as he gained a few podium finishes since the Austrian Grand Prix.
However, Checo has been nowhere near beating his teammate. Max Verstappen enjoyed a 10-race winning streak until Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz broke the streak in the Singaporean Grand Prix. However, Sergio Perez had trouble qualifying in Q3 a couple of times and had a few DNFs this year as well. Moreover, the gap between Checo and Max has been increasing faster. Hence, Red Bull looked for a replacement.
What If Liam Lawson Replaces Sergio Perez Next Year?
At first, the Austrian team thought about bringing back Daniel Ricciardo to drive for them again. The Aussie was part of the Red Bull team initially this year as their third driver until he moved to Alpha Tauri as a replacement for Nyck De Vries. But Daniel’s chances to replace Checo are in question since the Aussie injured himself in the Dutch Grand Prix. Now Christian Horner is looking at the other two Alpha Tauri drivers, Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson. Horner desperately wants Sergio Perez to find the form to secure his P2 finish this year.
Moreover, the Red Bull boss said they must sit down with Checo and discuss how he can get back to his original form. If Checo doesn’t improve, then the Red Bull might give Liam Lawson a full-time seat. The Austrian team genuinely believes Lawson is a potential superstar. But Alpha Tauri is not a strong team at all. Hence, Lawson is struggling there but doing the best he can. At the end of the 2023 season, eyes will be on Christian Horner to confirm a decision on Sergio Perez.
Red Bull Could Have Faced A 2016 Mercedes Situation In 2023
The Mexican driver started so well, and then he broke every fan’s heart. It could have been a 2016 Mercedes situation for Red Bull this year. Since 2014, Lewis Hamilton had won a couple of titles back in 2016, when his teammate Nico Rosberg decided to break Hamilton’s winning streak. The German driver won the 2016 championship, but Mercedes had an epic showdown between their two drivers. The fans back then really loved the intense internal rivalry of Mercedes in 2016. Later, the German team replaced Rosberg with Valtteri Bottas.
Then Lewis Hamilton went on to win four titles back to back. In 2023, the two Red Bull drivers won a couple of races each after the first four races. It seemed as if the fans could expect Checo break his teammate’s winning streak this time. An intense internal rivalry was on the horizon for Red Bull. It could have been great for the fans and the sport, as everybody expects fierce competition between two drivers or teams. But Checo started to fade away since the Miami Grand Prix. He said he was under a lot of pressure and could not entirely understand the RB19 car.