Sergio Perez told to ‘leave’ Red Bull or risk becoming even ‘weaker’
Red Bull's Sergio Perez has been told to leave the team.
Sergio Perez has been told by Gerhard Berger that it’s time to leave Red Bull or he will risk becoming “weaker because the mistakes will increase”.
Perez’s 2023 season has been a tale of two parts with the Mexican driver going from fighting for the championship to fighting for his career. And how quickly the situation changed.
In the thick of it in the first five races of the season when he recorded two wins and two runner-up results, his second P2 of the season is arguably where it began to go horribly wrong.
‘Sergio Perez has to leave Red Bull Racing’
Overtaken by Max Verstappen at the Miami Grand Prix despite the Dutchman lining up ninth on the grid with Perez on pole, it was Verstappen who claimed the win with his incredible drive sparking a run of 10 wins on the trot.
As for Perez, not helped by an ensuing qualifying slump, he has not won a single grand prix since round four, Azerbaijan, and has managed just five podiums since that P1.
That has put his P2 in the championship on the line as his lead over Lewis Hamilton has been slashed to just 30 points with five races remaining.
His decline has led to numerous rumours, often denied by Christian Horner but fuelled by Helmut Marko, that Perez’s Red Bull race seat is on the line.
Berger reckons he shouldn’t wait to be pushed, he should jump right now as he needs a change of scenery – and a lesser team-mate than Verstappen – to boost his confidence.
“I say, Perez has to leave Red Bull Racing!” the former F1 driver told ServusTV’s ‘Sport und Talk aus dem Hangar-7’ programme.
“Perez needs a team in which he can grow again. You need a team-mate you can beat so that you create strength.
“Perez will not be able to do that next to Max Verstappen. He will only become weaker because the mistakes will increase.”
He added: “It’s not that important whether you can win. It’s not about winning. Max won’t get any worse.”
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Mixed messages coming out of Red Bull, and most notably Marko
While team boss Horner has offered to put an arm around Perez’s shoulder and support him, Marko has urged the Mexican driver to take matters into his own hands and leave the team.
But while the two higher-ups appear to have two different views on the Perez situation, even Marko’s own has been bouncing around of late.
Speaking to OE24, the 80-year-old said: “Perez needs a change of climate and team. Now we’ll see how the next two races go. But the team and he are aware that he is in a crisis.”
Days later, though, he insisted Red Bull have a contract with the driver nor do they have someone lined up who could replace him.
“I may be repeating myself,” he told SPORT1, “but Perez has a contract that we want to respect. We are doing everything to get him back on track.
“We lack the alternatives. Otherwise, he would possibly have a problem.”
That in itself contradicts another interview he gave immediately after the Qatar race where he spoke of having “three relatively good drivers in AlphaTauri” waiting in the wings.
As for Perez, he continues to insist he will be a 2024 Red Bull driver.
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