Sergio Perez knows better than any other driver the difficulty of being Max Verstappen’s teammate.
Red Bull signed Sergio Perez off the back of his best season in Formula 1 with Racing Point in 2020, finishing fourth in the drivers’ championship with 20 points more than Alex Albon, who ended up losing his seat to the Mexican.
Perez was an able deputy to Verstappen and secured the team’s first-ever one-two finish in the standings in 2023, but signs that he was no longer at his peak were beginning to show.
Red Bull extended Perez’s contract last year to try and build up his confidence, but just six months later he was let go with Liam Lawson brought in as his replacement.
Lawson is now in danger of being replaced after just two Grand Prix, with the New Zealander performing well below expectations.
That might finally open up an opportunity for Yuki Tsunoda to earn a long-awaited promotion to race for Red Bull in Formula 1.
However, Perez admitted before his eventual F1 exit that seeing the Japanese driver earn that seat was the last thing he wanted.
READ MORE: Sergio Perez’s life outside F1 from net worth to nickname
Sergio Perez didn’t want Red Bull to promote Yuki Tsunoda for his own protection
Journalist Diego Mejia was discussing the ongoing Red Bull driver situation on the Only Drivers Podcast.
With Lawson’s future hanging in the balance, Mejia said: “The next one on the list is Tsunoda.
“At some point, I spoke to Checo about it and he told me, ‘I hope they don’t put Yuki in because they’ll get rid of him.’
“I mean, Checo knows better, let’s see, Checo, when he arrived at Red Bull, he had been in Formula 1 for 10 seasons.
“So, he knew very well what was going to happen internally and what was happening with the car, and obviously, when the results keep adding up week after week and they don’t improve, there comes a point where people say, ‘The problem is you, not the car.’
“But with everything that’s happening, we’re seeing that there really is a problem at Red Bull.
“Well, there are several, because there’s no longer Adrian Newey there to solve the problems that they’re having with this new car, which apparently isn’t much better than last year’s.”
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Yuki Tsunoda is confident he’s ready to race for Red Bull
Tsunoda is approaching 100 Grand Prix starts and has lasted longer than many drivers in Red Bull’s junior team.
He’s been one of the most impressive drivers in the midfield this year, but two poor strategy calls have cost him points-scoring finishes after recording a P6 in the Sprint Race in China.
Tsunoda aimed a dig at Lawson during the previous race weekend when asked whether he was ready to race for Red Bull.
Red Bull were impressed with Tsunoda during his post-season test last year but not impressed enough to choose him over Lawson.
However, in one of his press briefings in Shanghai, Tsunoda said he was ‘100%’ ready to race for Red Bull if the call came.
Tsunoda has claimed he’s ready to drive for Red Bull in the past, but that opportunity might finally be presented to him now.
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