Readers of Express Sport believe that Red Bull should bench Sergio Perez in favor of adding Daniel Ricciardo for the 2024 campaign. When questioned about the situation, supporters were sharply divided, with the Milton Keynes-based squad having to make a tough choice over their starting lineup for the upcoming season.
Checo kicked off the 2023 season in style with two wins in his first four races, but he has failed to return to the top step of the podium since then and now sits a record-breaking 266 points behind his team-mate and reigning world champion Max Verstappen.
After the 33-year-old’s poor performance this season, Red Bull gave Daniel Ricciardo a ride back on the Formula One grid, replacing rookie Nyck de Vries with the Italian driver. Checo’s home race produced an outstanding P4 qualifying result, which was reinforced by a P7 finish in the race, placing even more pressure on him.
In response to those difficulties in Brazil, Perez performed admirably, coming in fourth on the road after edging off Fernando Alonso for the final podium position in an exciting last-lap battle. His pressure has lessened somewhat as a result of that performance, but the discussion continues throughout the F1 community.
When asked whether Red Bull should cut Sergio Perez’s contract before it’s time, 52% of Express Sport readers said they should, while 48% thought Christian Horner had good reason to be confident in the Mexican.
Perez thinks he still has what it takes to win the world championship in spite of his setbacks. Earlier in the season, he told the Dutch news source De Limburger, “I struggled a lot in the summer.” I was initially vying for the world championship, but that changed in May.
I had no confidence while I rode. I simply stopped coming out at one point. It was really difficult. You ride with a premier team, so expectations are high and performance takes off rapidly. However, I persisted and put in a lot of effort to work with the engineers to solve the problem.
“When I realized that earlier in the year, I had won races on my own, my confidence returned. I’d venture to say that I’m back to 100% now. Additionally, I’m still convinced that I can compete for the world crown the following year.”
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