Looks like Red Bull driver Sergio Perez failed to do a “Nico Rosberg in 2016” feat in the current season. As a result, the Mexican driver does not have many days remaining as a Red Bull driver. After his inconsistent performance in the current season, principal Christian Horner has confirmed that they are looking for his replacement. That is why fans still wonder what went so wrong for Checo in 2023.
He had a terrific start in the ongoing season as he won two races out of the first four GPs. Fans thought there might be an intense battle between the Red Bull drivers. The F1 fanatics always want a competition between two or more teams. But Red Bull’s RB19 proved too fast for other teams and their drivers. Hence, the fans were eagerly waiting to see Sergio Perez push for his maiden championship. Currently, experts and fans wonder who’ll replace Checo at Red Bull.
Nico Rosberg Believes Alex Albon Should Replace Sergio Perez
Currently, the most common answer is Daniel Ricciardo. But the 2016 champion Nico Rosberg feels it should be Alex Albon to replace Sergio Perez. Moreover, Albon used to drive for Red Bull in 2020 until Checo replaced him. Nico Rosberg told Sky F1 that Alex Albon should replace Sergio Perez in the next season. Moreover, the 2016 champion feels Albon is performing much better than Logan Sargeant, his current teammate in the Williams team. According to Rosberg, Albon is doing a phenomenal job at Williams.
But the problem with Alex Albon, as Nico Rosberg mentioned, is that he has a long-term contract with the Williams team. Moreover, Albon will stay part of the Williams team until the end of the 2024 season at least. On top of that, Alex Albon has scored all 23 points of his team in the current season. However, Alex Albon would have been a good choice for Red Bull, as per Nico Rosberg. It seems like even Helmut Marko was thinking about Albon for a while until the long-term deal became an obstacle.
How Checo Missed His Chance To Repeat What Rosberg Did In 2016?
After winning the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Checo mentioned that he aims to become the new world champion. Hence, an intense internal rivalry between Max and Checo was on. Fans and experts were comparing Checo with Nico Rosberg frequently. The most common question was whether Sergio Perez could do what Nico Rosberg did in 2016. In the turbo-hybrid era, Lewis Hamilton had won back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015. He was on his way to win his third consecutive title. But the German driver had other plans.
Back in the day, Mercedes had the fastest car. Rosberg was driving one of those fastest cars. He was able to beat his teammate after a fierce and intense battle to claim the championship. However, that intense rivalry created a rift, and Mercedes replaced Rosberg with Valtteri Bottas in 2017. However, in Checo’s case, as it is turning out in 2023, Red Bull might replace him, but not after he won a title. Max Verstappen already claimed the championship in the Qatar Grand Prix. On the other hand, Sergio Perez had yet another failed race in Qatar.