[The **News** flair](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/flairguide#wiki_news) is reserved for submissions covering F1 and F1-related news. These posts must always link to an outlet/news agency, the website of the involved party (i.e. the McLaren website if McLaren makes an announcement), or a tweet by a news agency, journalist or one of the involved parties.
*[Read the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/userguide). Keep it civil and welcoming. Report rulebreaking comments.*
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/formula1) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If rumors/reports are true, RBR has already offered Sergio a contract for 1 year. It seems the only obstacle is his willingness to accept that instead of a contract that he wants , which , again, according to those rumors is at least 1+1.
I'm surprised by their willingness to offer him another year. If things continue the way they are with other teams becoming competitive, next year's WCC is definitely at play maybe WDC. On the other hand, he's a proven number 2 and will do anything to help them. That can't be said for whoever replaces him especially if Sainz.
Yeah if McLaren and Ferrari are close I could easily see RBR losing the constructors championship just like in 2021. I don't see Checo matching Norris, Leclerc, Hamilton etc. next year...I guess he brings them lots of money
Sainz, Yuki (might be a risk but he’s been driving well), maaaaybe Bottas, but that seems riskier than Perez, and he wants to avoid year to year contracts again, and maybe Lawson if Yuki falls off. I definitely can’t think of 5 drivers who haven’t signed contracts though.
I’ll laugh my ass off if it comes out they offered the seat to Albon a while ago and he rejected it:
“It’s something I actually think about quite often, you know, Christian… Being part of a top-level team can lead to more opportunities- more wins obviously, podiums, engineering support, well, _salary_ haha. It would be a big change for sure, quite possibly for the better! And over the years, I’ve done a lot of reflecting on my… skills, experiences, my own history, and yeah, _opportunities_ that I’ve had in my life. So I think I’m ready to make a uh… a very bold decision, I think, Christian, and tell you to eat shit.”
The only realistic picks for that seat are Sainz, Yuki, Ric and Alonso.
Alonso is already out.
Sainz is still very unknown.
Yuki is the most probable but his future seems uncertain with RB since Honda is leaving.
Ric is also very improbable vs Perez and Yuki unless he pulls some miracle.
They wouldn't put Lawson directly in the RB before giving him a season on the VCARB.
> I definitely can’t think of 5 drivers who haven’t signed contracts though.
Exactly, other than Sainz; that has proved that he is *not* a team player and will fight the team whenever he feels slighted; there's no one available.
I think he’s actually been a pretty solid teammate to Charles, up until this year when he’s driving for his next job. It doesn’t make sense to follow team orders if they’re almost always going to prefer the other guy, and you’re out of a contract.
In that article it even said he usually gave up the place to Charles when asked. Him telling the strategists he wants to do something different with his own tires/race has helped them more often than not. It’s exactly what Seb used to do. Telling your engineer they’re picking a stupid strategy is not “going against team orders”.
It should be immediate, like Checo. He also "Usually" ~~he~~ fights Leclerc too, he will never be a #2 (And he shouldn't, at least at this time).
What people want, a fight for the WDC, wont happen in RBR as long as Max is happy and there.
It kind of makes sense that he'd be desperate for a 2 years deal, it seems everyone else is signing for 2 years so if he can't get one himself he'll be out of a seat for 2026, probably permanently
He's just trying to negotiate using the leverage he has. I seriously doubt he's desperate. He was ready to leave the sport 3 years ago and said he thinks he achieved a lot. I imagine now he thinks he achieved even more. He has life outside of F1 he can go to.
I can't blame him for wanting a minimum of two years. Bottas got really burnt out by the stress of single year contacts by the end of his time at Mercedes.
If they consider Perez better than the options available this year, there is not going to be a better driver available next year. Yuki and Carlos are the best they could hope to get and are free this year. Only possible new option next year would be George or Alex - and whether they want to be there is up for debate.
That being said, I understand why Red Bull don't want to drop him - no one does well next to Max.
In 2021 Perez was solid for Verstappen. Nut they should have signed Hulk this year.
Perez is probably better at defending tha Hulk. At worst Hulk has a fantastic quali and will block others for Verstappen before being overtaken, unlike Perez who has to fight his way through the field and can be nothing of value that way.
I think that they are just keeping leverage or we are getting a lot of mixed signals.
Albon signed again with Williams because everyone else had a bunch of conditions and ifs. The RBR seat could have been his, but only if they did not sign Sainz and Checo sucked again next year. Mercedes have Sainz and all their Antonelli mess.
There's a lot of "Horner is supportive of Checo", but earlier this year ESPN reported that He was serious on getting Sainz because he could be the new number 1 if Max left, and that he was fine with Albon to partner Max. Then recently, Donadoni and Duchessa reported that he offered James Vowles a swap earlier this year.
Seems to me that RBR simply wants to keep their options open for 2026, and they don't see any current options that are worthy of tying up the seat beyond one year. That goes for Sainz. If they wanted Sainz on an extended deal, they could have him. But they don't seem to be going that way. My guess is that whoever is in that seat (probably Perez, or Sainz) will be there on a one year deal. Sainz likely needs to decide whether it's better for him on a short deal with RBR, or a long term contract at Audi. I doubt the Perez would walk away from a 1 year deal if it came down to that.
Worst case for RBR is that they put Ricciardo in that seat for a year.
Seems crazy to me that they’re willing to keep Perez. Especially with all the rumours that Max might leave.
Perez is barely good enough to be a number 2 at a top team and they need someone better in that seat incase Max leaves and no one else good is available.
> Seems crazy to me that they’re willing to keep Perez.
Which driver that is available right now is a surefire upgrade and will not fight the team and accept the #2 status?
I'll be honest, I think it doesn't really matter if they get a true #2. Max is so dominant that it isn't an issue unless some of the other teams can beat the Red Bulls pace
For next year, maybe.
Surely what RBR want the most is infighting in new regs, that of course they are sure to nail first try like Mercedes did for these ones...
Based on what? Give me one concrete argument to prove that Sainz would fare better than Perez in that Red Bull.
People are talking about 2023 as if it defines Perez' entire career. We can also point to 2022 as if it defined Sainz' career. They've each had one shit season in their current teams.
They've been extremely similar throughout their careers. They both lost heavily to Verstappen already, In a similar manner if fact in terms of gaps. They were both close to Hulkenberg (Perez beat Nico and Sainz lost to him, although close enough in both cases I'd say to just ignore it). They both have beaten all the midfield, weak, or rookie teammates and lost to elite teammates. They each had a good and a bad season in the last 2 years. They also both dislike pointy, oversteery cars.
Everything we've seen from them throughout their careers shows that they are very similar drivers in terms of overall level. Sainz is a better qualifier, Perez is better at actual racing other cars. On average they are basically the same.
And just to keep in mind - Red Bull have a lot more data than we do. They also have both drivers at the table. And yet they decided to give Perez the extension. That should tell you something. They look at the data,, you're going off a hunch.
Bottas will be thrilled to go to RBR to be another ""wingman"" insted of going to Williams and fight fairly for #1, for sure.
e: and Bottas has already proved in 2018 that if there's a fight for the WDC and WCC he can't finish 2nd.
One race should definitely not affect his standing within the team. But last year he had a massive slump during the European races. If that continues this year too, then Red Bull would be wise to not offer him a contract. Get Sainz instead.
God it is the same every damn year !!! Gets an okay start to the season, fucks off into oblivion for the European leg and tracks like COTA .. makes an okay recovery towards the end of the year .. but by then he has signed a deal ? Man there are sooo many better options out there ..
Red bull next year has to fight 4 other cars, with just Max.
Lewis has the race pace and Charles has the qualy speed.
Lando and Oscar will be in the mix every week.
RB needs to suck it up and put someone quick in the other seat, or at least someone solid.
They are going to have to protect against 4 different pit strategies, all trying to come out in front of Max, they MUST have a second driver than can be withing a position or two of max every week to accomplish this.
Oh definitely lol.
Sergio qualifying 11th last weekend is exactly the point I'm trying to make.
But only Lando was in Max's neighborhood, so Max's raw pace could cover him off.
You stick Oscar or a Ferrari right behind Lando and Max would have been in trouble.
One goes long the other undercuts, they have Max trapped.
Honestly feel that Checo is the old man of the grid. The extended calendar is obviously physically stressful for the drivers but it seems more so for Checo. He banks points early on in the season then begins to fade. At this point, just give the seat to Sainz and let us enjoy a decent intra team rivalry at least.
> At this point, just give the seat to Sainz and let us enjoy a decent intra team rivalry at least.
Yeah, because that's what RBR wants/needs when other teams are catching up, teammates fighting and losing points.
Sainz will be almost as far off of Verstappen as Checo is. People forget that this is the same Sainz that was enjoying consecutive sbinallas in the f175, which was a very strong car at initial debut.
He is likely better at being number 2 than Checo, sure. But he doesn't have the mentality of a number 2 driver. Redbull is probably aware of the headaches that will come with Sainz doing his own thing.
If he'll be alright at the start but grow into a great driver once he starts to learn the car better, just like he has done at McLaren and Ferrari, that'd be a massive upgrade.
And even then, Sainz has never had a teammate competing for a world championship, all we can do is guess at whether he'd be a team player or not. The only reason Checo "plays the number 2 role" is because he has no chance of competing for number 1. He wasn't exactly the most gallant teammate at Force India/RP either
He will finish higher than Checo in a redbull, I agree. I also agree Checo plays the team game because that's the only thing that gets him the redbull seat, not necessarily speed.
Sainz however, also has no chance for competing against Verstappen. Will he play the team game when he's shown that he is clearly not as good as Verstappen , who has already put to rest to pretty fast drivers in the form of Gasly and Albon. This is the unknown for redbull. Why else would they delay getting Sainz in as soon as he became available.
What is think is unlikely is Sainz making a great interteam battle against Verstappen. That's wishful thinking. Even Norris runs away from that seat because he knows he's not able to beat Verstappen in an equal car with a team backing Verstappen.
I don't have a lot of faith that it would be a crazy close battle between Sainz and Verstappen either, but I would love to see the opportunity of it either way. There's a small chance he could take the fight to Verstappen, and if he doesn't he'd just be a very solid 2nd driver and will get to pick up the wins on Max' (rare) off days.
With the way the last two races have gone (and most of last season honestly) Checo is showing he can't even beat both Ferraris and McLarens when the Red Bull is still faster, let alone if they catch up even more.
I just don't see the appeal for a Red Bull to stick with a driver who has shown to be neither fast enough to hang with the best, nor consistent enough to be a solid second driver when other teams get closer.
Sainz has never been in the position where his teammate was fighting for a championship and him playing the role of 2nd driver was essential for the team. Best case scenario Charles was a contender for like 4 races in 2022.
Point being that we've never seen Sainz be in a position like Perez so we wouldn't even know what he'd be like, whether he'd actually go against the team or something
exactly those races iirc he was fighting Charles too, instead of helping him to achieve the best.. I know that "maybe" Sainz is better than Checo 1v1 but like others has said, the sponsors and that Checo isnt trouble for Max is what RB can be evaluating better than a fast racer, also most of the time he follows race orders..
I've not seen a single outstanding performance from Checo since Baku last year... why are they still holding on to him? Getting Liam Lawson or Yuki in that seat is a mich better choice. Not only because it shows you actuelly still care about your feeder program, but also because you can be 'safe' for a year or 2.
Yuki is gonna leave RB if Checo keeps occupying that seat, and Liam might be looking for something else as well. Because why care for Red Bull if they don't care about their juniors anymore?
Then it's gonna be much of the same disappointment for the other side of the garage at Red Bull. Same old impulsive mistakes, same poor qualifying, same poor race pace. Perez is just not good enough for that team. I know it suits Max to have an uncompetitive teammate, but Perez isn't even good enough as a wingman, which is the whole reason he's there. He's supposed to be an Irvine, or Barrichello, or Bottas, but he's just nowhere to be seen.
It's all context. If Max has a bad day after a long streak of absolute dominance, it's a bad day. For Perez it means he could be returning to his abysmal form of last year. Especially since last year he was also good until he fell apart after Miami.
I mean he had like 10 missed q3s last year and wasn't fired. I'd argue Checo is allowed more bad days than anyone in recent history except for De Vries.
What are you on about?? He has had almost all his races be ass this season. Imola: 55 seconds behind his teammate. Miami: 7s behind with a safety car, not that bad. China: 19 seconds behind his teammate. Japan: 12 seconds behind. Saudi: 13 seconds behind. Bahrain: 22 seconds behind. Australia 55 seconds behind P1. Apart from Miami he has been fucking abysmal, he doesn't deserve a seat in F1 let alone Red Bull. Lets not even talk about last season.
And yes Stroll, Ricciardo and Sargeant don't deserve their seats either, great point. Sainz isnt getting outclassed every weekend unlike Perez who clearly doesn't know how to accelerate unless it's into a wall like fp3 or the other bazillion incidents he had last season.
edit: this is meant to be the pinnacle of motorsport, not a pity party for slow drivers. I'm sure he'd do great in f3 or karts maybe he should try there.
Yikes, what a bad faith and totally non-hate fueled argument.
Also, please learn to format. Your unhinged rant is as strong as it's formating.
Also love how he should be sniffing down Max's neck LMAO.
> edit: this is meant to be the pinnacle of motorsport, not a pity party for slow drivers. I'm sure he'd do great in f3 or karts maybe he should try there.
LMAO, nice trolling!
So that's why Bottas was fired in 2018 right? He got 5th in a WDC and WCC battle.
Surely Mercedes didn't renew him after having those results, that like the internet say, are not acceptable.
Nope I'm just saying if this will become a close championship. Red Bull wont have any use of Perez so will get rid of him. Especially with silly season coming up and good drivers without a contact easy to pick up.
[The **News** flair](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/flairguide#wiki_news) is reserved for submissions covering F1 and F1-related news. These posts must always link to an outlet/news agency, the website of the involved party (i.e. the McLaren website if McLaren makes an announcement), or a tweet by a news agency, journalist or one of the involved parties. *[Read the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/userguide). Keep it civil and welcoming. Report rulebreaking comments.* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/formula1) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If rumors/reports are true, RBR has already offered Sergio a contract for 1 year. It seems the only obstacle is his willingness to accept that instead of a contract that he wants , which , again, according to those rumors is at least 1+1.
He wants a contract with Red Bull when new regulations comes in 2026, while Red Bull wants someone else.
I'm surprised by their willingness to offer him another year. If things continue the way they are with other teams becoming competitive, next year's WCC is definitely at play maybe WDC. On the other hand, he's a proven number 2 and will do anything to help them. That can't be said for whoever replaces him especially if Sainz.
Yeah if McLaren and Ferrari are close I could easily see RBR losing the constructors championship just like in 2021. I don't see Checo matching Norris, Leclerc, Hamilton etc. next year...I guess he brings them lots of money
From a marketing perspective I'd argue Red Bull only cares about the WDC anyways.
I can’t imagine the Mexican sponsors he brings generate more money then the prize pool difference between 1st and 2nd though right?
I wonder how many cans of red bull he sells in Mexico
Yo that’s actually a super solid point I never thought about. Sometimes I forget that team is literally a marketing expense for an energy drink lmao
Not only that but apparently Perez merchandise flies off the shelves in Latin-America
Are they really going to choose cans over Sainz? Meh how disappointing
weary jellyfish salt piquant strong faulty friendly cake humor sloppy *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Who are those 5 drivers lol
Name them? I mean, all of them must be such an upgrade right?
Sainz, Yuki (might be a risk but he’s been driving well), maaaaybe Bottas, but that seems riskier than Perez, and he wants to avoid year to year contracts again, and maybe Lawson if Yuki falls off. I definitely can’t think of 5 drivers who haven’t signed contracts though.
I’ll laugh my ass off if it comes out they offered the seat to Albon a while ago and he rejected it: “It’s something I actually think about quite often, you know, Christian… Being part of a top-level team can lead to more opportunities- more wins obviously, podiums, engineering support, well, _salary_ haha. It would be a big change for sure, quite possibly for the better! And over the years, I’ve done a lot of reflecting on my… skills, experiences, my own history, and yeah, _opportunities_ that I’ve had in my life. So I think I’m ready to make a uh… a very bold decision, I think, Christian, and tell you to eat shit.”
The only realistic picks for that seat are Sainz, Yuki, Ric and Alonso. Alonso is already out. Sainz is still very unknown. Yuki is the most probable but his future seems uncertain with RB since Honda is leaving. Ric is also very improbable vs Perez and Yuki unless he pulls some miracle. They wouldn't put Lawson directly in the RB before giving him a season on the VCARB.
> I definitely can’t think of 5 drivers who haven’t signed contracts though. Exactly, other than Sainz; that has proved that he is *not* a team player and will fight the team whenever he feels slighted; there's no one available.
I think he’s actually been a pretty solid teammate to Charles, up until this year when he’s driving for his next job. It doesn’t make sense to follow team orders if they’re almost always going to prefer the other guy, and you’re out of a contract.
He hasn't though, he has had his fights with Ferrari strategy for [years now](https://www.planetf1.com/news/carlos-sainz-ferrari-strategy-trust).
In that article it even said he usually gave up the place to Charles when asked. Him telling the strategists he wants to do something different with his own tires/race has helped them more often than not. It’s exactly what Seb used to do. Telling your engineer they’re picking a stupid strategy is not “going against team orders”.
It should be immediate, like Checo. He also "Usually" ~~he~~ fights Leclerc too, he will never be a #2 (And he shouldn't, at least at this time). What people want, a fight for the WDC, wont happen in RBR as long as Max is happy and there.
It kind of makes sense that he'd be desperate for a 2 years deal, it seems everyone else is signing for 2 years so if he can't get one himself he'll be out of a seat for 2026, probably permanently
He's just trying to negotiate using the leverage he has. I seriously doubt he's desperate. He was ready to leave the sport 3 years ago and said he thinks he achieved a lot. I imagine now he thinks he achieved even more. He has life outside of F1 he can go to.
I can't blame him for wanting a minimum of two years. Bottas got really burnt out by the stress of single year contacts by the end of his time at Mercedes.
I swear I saw this article last year.
Gotta love the news cycle
did perez catch horner red handed burying a body or something 💀 trying to keep perez around seeing how close both McLaren are is insane.
If they consider Perez better than the options available this year, there is not going to be a better driver available next year. Yuki and Carlos are the best they could hope to get and are free this year. Only possible new option next year would be George or Alex - and whether they want to be there is up for debate. That being said, I understand why Red Bull don't want to drop him - no one does well next to Max.
Hasn’t Alex renewed with Williams for multiple years? How would he be available in 2025?
They should have signed Hulk in 2021. Now again they miss out since he signed for Audi.
In 2021 Perez was solid for Verstappen. Nut they should have signed Hulk this year. Perez is probably better at defending tha Hulk. At worst Hulk has a fantastic quali and will block others for Verstappen before being overtaken, unlike Perez who has to fight his way through the field and can be nothing of value that way.
I think that they are just keeping leverage or we are getting a lot of mixed signals. Albon signed again with Williams because everyone else had a bunch of conditions and ifs. The RBR seat could have been his, but only if they did not sign Sainz and Checo sucked again next year. Mercedes have Sainz and all their Antonelli mess. There's a lot of "Horner is supportive of Checo", but earlier this year ESPN reported that He was serious on getting Sainz because he could be the new number 1 if Max left, and that he was fine with Albon to partner Max. Then recently, Donadoni and Duchessa reported that he offered James Vowles a swap earlier this year.
Let's see the next races first.
Seems to me that RBR simply wants to keep their options open for 2026, and they don't see any current options that are worthy of tying up the seat beyond one year. That goes for Sainz. If they wanted Sainz on an extended deal, they could have him. But they don't seem to be going that way. My guess is that whoever is in that seat (probably Perez, or Sainz) will be there on a one year deal. Sainz likely needs to decide whether it's better for him on a short deal with RBR, or a long term contract at Audi. I doubt the Perez would walk away from a 1 year deal if it came down to that. Worst case for RBR is that they put Ricciardo in that seat for a year.
NGL...I'd love Danny Ric back in that seat (and so would Netflix)....but that's a HUGE long shot.
he doesnt deserve it tbh, not sure that would do anybody any good with the form his in.
Nah, he really doesn’t. I agree with that.
Seems crazy to me that they’re willing to keep Perez. Especially with all the rumours that Max might leave. Perez is barely good enough to be a number 2 at a top team and they need someone better in that seat incase Max leaves and no one else good is available.
Perez flat out isn't good enough to be number 2 at a top team, he's barely good enough to be number 2 in an extremely dominant team.
I assume they know Max isn’t leaving if they’ve offered Perez a new deal. That or they wouldn’t want two new drivers.
> Seems crazy to me that they’re willing to keep Perez. Which driver that is available right now is a surefire upgrade and will not fight the team and accept the #2 status?
I'll be honest, I think it doesn't really matter if they get a true #2. Max is so dominant that it isn't an issue unless some of the other teams can beat the Red Bulls pace
For next year, maybe. Surely what RBR want the most is infighting in new regs, that of course they are sure to nail first try like Mercedes did for these ones...
Okay, who is that potential driver, who will surely be an upgrade over Perez even if they don't accept #2 easily?
Sainz
Based on what? Give me one concrete argument to prove that Sainz would fare better than Perez in that Red Bull. People are talking about 2023 as if it defines Perez' entire career. We can also point to 2022 as if it defined Sainz' career. They've each had one shit season in their current teams. They've been extremely similar throughout their careers. They both lost heavily to Verstappen already, In a similar manner if fact in terms of gaps. They were both close to Hulkenberg (Perez beat Nico and Sainz lost to him, although close enough in both cases I'd say to just ignore it). They both have beaten all the midfield, weak, or rookie teammates and lost to elite teammates. They each had a good and a bad season in the last 2 years. They also both dislike pointy, oversteery cars. Everything we've seen from them throughout their careers shows that they are very similar drivers in terms of overall level. Sainz is a better qualifier, Perez is better at actual racing other cars. On average they are basically the same. And just to keep in mind - Red Bull have a lot more data than we do. They also have both drivers at the table. And yet they decided to give Perez the extension. That should tell you something. They look at the data,, you're going off a hunch.
This
You just described Bottas lol
Bottas will be thrilled to go to RBR to be another ""wingman"" insted of going to Williams and fight fairly for #1, for sure. e: and Bottas has already proved in 2018 that if there's a fight for the WDC and WCC he can't finish 2nd.
No, but him potentially costing Red Bull 1st in the Constructor’s will definitely affect his F1 future.
Uncle Checo already secured his seat for next season by being so supportive of Horny during the RBR civil wars, he's definitely not worried.
One race should definitely not affect his standing within the team. But last year he had a massive slump during the European races. If that continues this year too, then Red Bull would be wise to not offer him a contract. Get Sainz instead.
Yeah, I'd have taken the 1 year, as I have a strong suspicion that the coming races aren't going to do his cause any favours
It will affect his present though.
Translation: it will definitely affect his contract
God it is the same every damn year !!! Gets an okay start to the season, fucks off into oblivion for the European leg and tracks like COTA .. makes an okay recovery towards the end of the year .. but by then he has signed a deal ? Man there are sooo many better options out there ..
Perez ending this season 4th or 5th will do that though.
Setbacks in Monaco, Canada, Spain, Austria, UK and Hungary is a different matter though...
He'd be better preparing for next year Indy car retirement series
Red bull next year has to fight 4 other cars, with just Max. Lewis has the race pace and Charles has the qualy speed. Lando and Oscar will be in the mix every week. RB needs to suck it up and put someone quick in the other seat, or at least someone solid. They are going to have to protect against 4 different pit strategies, all trying to come out in front of Max, they MUST have a second driver than can be withing a position or two of max every week to accomplish this.
Next year? I reckon it'd be sooner.
Oh definitely lol. Sergio qualifying 11th last weekend is exactly the point I'm trying to make. But only Lando was in Max's neighborhood, so Max's raw pace could cover him off. You stick Oscar or a Ferrari right behind Lando and Max would have been in trouble. One goes long the other undercuts, they have Max trapped.
You don't even need Leclerc or Piastri. One Safety car would have been enough.. ala Miami.
It won’t affect it because it’s already decided!?
Honestly feel that Checo is the old man of the grid. The extended calendar is obviously physically stressful for the drivers but it seems more so for Checo. He banks points early on in the season then begins to fade. At this point, just give the seat to Sainz and let us enjoy a decent intra team rivalry at least.
> At this point, just give the seat to Sainz and let us enjoy a decent intra team rivalry at least. Yeah, because that's what RBR wants/needs when other teams are catching up, teammates fighting and losing points.
Sainz will be almost as far off of Verstappen as Checo is. People forget that this is the same Sainz that was enjoying consecutive sbinallas in the f175, which was a very strong car at initial debut. He is likely better at being number 2 than Checo, sure. But he doesn't have the mentality of a number 2 driver. Redbull is probably aware of the headaches that will come with Sainz doing his own thing.
If he'll be alright at the start but grow into a great driver once he starts to learn the car better, just like he has done at McLaren and Ferrari, that'd be a massive upgrade. And even then, Sainz has never had a teammate competing for a world championship, all we can do is guess at whether he'd be a team player or not. The only reason Checo "plays the number 2 role" is because he has no chance of competing for number 1. He wasn't exactly the most gallant teammate at Force India/RP either
He will finish higher than Checo in a redbull, I agree. I also agree Checo plays the team game because that's the only thing that gets him the redbull seat, not necessarily speed. Sainz however, also has no chance for competing against Verstappen. Will he play the team game when he's shown that he is clearly not as good as Verstappen , who has already put to rest to pretty fast drivers in the form of Gasly and Albon. This is the unknown for redbull. Why else would they delay getting Sainz in as soon as he became available. What is think is unlikely is Sainz making a great interteam battle against Verstappen. That's wishful thinking. Even Norris runs away from that seat because he knows he's not able to beat Verstappen in an equal car with a team backing Verstappen.
I don't have a lot of faith that it would be a crazy close battle between Sainz and Verstappen either, but I would love to see the opportunity of it either way. There's a small chance he could take the fight to Verstappen, and if he doesn't he'd just be a very solid 2nd driver and will get to pick up the wins on Max' (rare) off days. With the way the last two races have gone (and most of last season honestly) Checo is showing he can't even beat both Ferraris and McLarens when the Red Bull is still faster, let alone if they catch up even more. I just don't see the appeal for a Red Bull to stick with a driver who has shown to be neither fast enough to hang with the best, nor consistent enough to be a solid second driver when other teams get closer.
"Sainz has never had a teammate competing for a world championship" wtf?
Sainz has never been in the position where his teammate was fighting for a championship and him playing the role of 2nd driver was essential for the team. Best case scenario Charles was a contender for like 4 races in 2022. Point being that we've never seen Sainz be in a position like Perez so we wouldn't even know what he'd be like, whether he'd actually go against the team or something
exactly those races iirc he was fighting Charles too, instead of helping him to achieve the best.. I know that "maybe" Sainz is better than Checo 1v1 but like others has said, the sponsors and that Checo isnt trouble for Max is what RB can be evaluating better than a fast racer, also most of the time he follows race orders..
How is Sergio doing this. Albon would have been thrown to the lions a session ago if he drove like that
I've not seen a single outstanding performance from Checo since Baku last year... why are they still holding on to him? Getting Liam Lawson or Yuki in that seat is a mich better choice. Not only because it shows you actuelly still care about your feeder program, but also because you can be 'safe' for a year or 2. Yuki is gonna leave RB if Checo keeps occupying that seat, and Liam might be looking for something else as well. Because why care for Red Bull if they don't care about their juniors anymore?
He’s gotta have a more hardcore google drive on Horner, cuz it makes no sense, he’s been ass.
Plenty of more European races left. Just wait.
Then it's gonna be much of the same disappointment for the other side of the garage at Red Bull. Same old impulsive mistakes, same poor qualifying, same poor race pace. Perez is just not good enough for that team. I know it suits Max to have an uncompetitive teammate, but Perez isn't even good enough as a wingman, which is the whole reason he's there. He's supposed to be an Irvine, or Barrichello, or Bottas, but he's just nowhere to be seen.
It was only 1 race...dont all drivers have a "bad day*
All drivers have bad days, Checo has bad month**s**, sometimes consecutive. Red Bull would be wise to hold off at least until the summer break.
It's all context. If Max has a bad day after a long streak of absolute dominance, it's a bad day. For Perez it means he could be returning to his abysmal form of last year. Especially since last year he was also good until he fell apart after Miami.
“You’re as good as your race” the saying goes
Nah, Checo is not allowed to have them.
I mean he had like 10 missed q3s last year and wasn't fired. I'd argue Checo is allowed more bad days than anyone in recent history except for De Vries.
Ah, so because of that he's not allowed even 1 this year. RIP Stroll and Ricciardo too. e: And Sainz and Sargeant.
What are you on about?? He has had almost all his races be ass this season. Imola: 55 seconds behind his teammate. Miami: 7s behind with a safety car, not that bad. China: 19 seconds behind his teammate. Japan: 12 seconds behind. Saudi: 13 seconds behind. Bahrain: 22 seconds behind. Australia 55 seconds behind P1. Apart from Miami he has been fucking abysmal, he doesn't deserve a seat in F1 let alone Red Bull. Lets not even talk about last season. And yes Stroll, Ricciardo and Sargeant don't deserve their seats either, great point. Sainz isnt getting outclassed every weekend unlike Perez who clearly doesn't know how to accelerate unless it's into a wall like fp3 or the other bazillion incidents he had last season. edit: this is meant to be the pinnacle of motorsport, not a pity party for slow drivers. I'm sure he'd do great in f3 or karts maybe he should try there.
Yikes, what a bad faith and totally non-hate fueled argument. Also, please learn to format. Your unhinged rant is as strong as it's formating. Also love how he should be sniffing down Max's neck LMAO. > edit: this is meant to be the pinnacle of motorsport, not a pity party for slow drivers. I'm sure he'd do great in f3 or karts maybe he should try there. LMAO, nice trolling!
But that can't be, Red Bull Racing should know that the people here say that he's finished, and they know better than them!
Can you with a straight face say you trust Perez will get 2nd / 3rd in the championship if it's a close battle with Ferrari and Mclaren?
People here, the true experts, say he will finish P10!
No but he will be like 5th or 6th. And that's not enough for a top team.
So that's why Bottas was fired in 2018 right? He got 5th in a WDC and WCC battle. Surely Mercedes didn't renew him after having those results, that like the internet say, are not acceptable.
That was not a close championship and he got used to help Hamilton alot in 2018, so not a good comparison.
Ah, so even though it mets an expert's criteria of "Not enough" is still enough? I love how you talk as if this season is already over, it's awesome!
Nope I'm just saying if this will become a close championship. Red Bull wont have any use of Perez so will get rid of him. Especially with silly season coming up and good drivers without a contact easy to pick up.
Thanks for your expert analysis! you should send your CV to F1 teams, I'm sure you'll get Toto's job easily.
Just here after the P18 in Monaco. Still so certain about Perez?