Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has piled pressure on Sergio Perez to start improving his results after three races where he has underperformed in the best car on the grid. Perez failed to make Q3 for a third time in a row in Canada during qualifying, while he only managed to finish outside of the top five despite Ferrari gambling with a risky tyre strategy. With the amount of mistakes being made by the Mexican, a possible change of driver mid-season has not been ruled out if he fails to adequately match the form of Max Verstappen. The last time Red Bull made such a switch was for Alex Albon in place of an underperforming Pierre Gasly in 2019, the Frenchman going back to the sister AlphaTauri team.
Red Bull using Silverstone test as assessment
Daniel Ricciardo could be a possible replacement for Perez should the team opt to go down that route if his results do not improve. The Australian will return in the car at the upcoming Pirelli test post-British Grand Prix at Silverstone, which will be crucial in determining whether they go ahead with a plan to ban tyre blankets from 2024. Marko says the team will also use the test to evaluate "where he really stands" and if he is a viable option for succession. "We will have Ricciardo in the car for three days at Silverstone during the tire test and then you can evaluate where Ricciardo really stands," Marko explained to ORF. "His initial goal was two or three years, that would be more than he planned anyway, and you just have to keep options for succession open."
Most read
