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F1 pundit and presenter Will Buxton said that Sergio Perez's seat at Red Bull was not secure as long as Daniel Ricciardo is at AlphaTauri.
Perez has not had a great season in 2023. He started the season well and won two of the first four races. Since his win in Baku however, everything has been going downhill for the Mexican.
Max Verstappen took over for Red Bull after the win in Baku and has lost only once in Singapore since then. Perez on the other hand has struggled a lot in comparison. In the meantime, Daniel Ricciardo was a reserve driver with the Austrian team and impressed during the Pirelli tire test.
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Ricciardo has since then replaced Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri and teamed up with Yuki Tsunoda. The driver has been looked at as a possible replacement for Sergio Perez, especially if the Mexican does not improve. With Perez securing P2 in the championship, many feel that his Red Bull seat is secured for the next season.
Will Buxton thinks otherwise, as he feels that Perez is in danger of losing his seat as long as Daniel Ricciardo is a part of the Red Bull family. He told The Fast And The Curious podcast:
“For as long as Daniel’s sitting in that Alpha Tauri, he [Sergio Perez] is not going to be safe. Because the only reason Daniel’s there is to put pressure on him. And I think Red Bull has probably come to the realization that the only driver who can replace Daniel, is Daniel. If Daniel gets back to Daniel’s form of old, then they’ll stick him in the car next to Max because they were the best driver lineup that they’ve had in terms of a two driver team, I think ever."
He added:
"And Daniel played really nicely with Max, and Max looked up to and respected Daniel. I don’t think it’d be quite the same now because Max has elevated himself to a level that’s beyond almost any driver and Formula 1."
Sergio Perez needs to maintain consistent performance to ward off Daniel Ricciardo
Buxton felt that Sergio Perez needed to stay consistent and produce consistent P2 finishes if he wants to keep his seat. At Red Bull, the fastest car on the grid, the worst result he could have is second and anything otherwise raises questions. He said:
“If Checo can’t maintain a consistent performance, and that consistent performance has to be consistent P2s because that is the best car in the field. The minimum expectation of that car is P2 and if you’re not getting P2, then what are you doing? You know, why are you there? And they will ask themselves those questions.”
Perez has however shown impressive progress over the last three seasons. He finished P4 in 2021, he was P3 in 2022 and will end up P2 in 2023. The driver will be hoping for a more consistent run in the Red Bull car next season as well if he wants to ward off the threat of Daniel Ricciardo taking his place.
