"His Actions Ruined Our Race": Guenther Steiner and Alex Albon Slam Sergio Perez's Controversial Move
2020 Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain: Sergio Perez makes a remarkable charge from the rear of the field. During his journey to his first-ever victory, he encounters Alex Albon in the Red Bull car. Racing on a different outer layout in Bahrain, Perez executes an impressive maneuver with his Racing Point RP20. Many consider this as the moment that solidified his position with Red Bull, symbolically overtaking Albon. Fast forward about three years, and the dynamics of these two drivers and their racing situations have undergone significant changes. Albon is now carrying Williams independently, while Checo Perez is facing considerable challenges at Red Bull. The most recent two races in Singapore and Japan illustrate Perez's struggles.
The past two overseas races have been extremely challenging for the Mexican driver. There have been significant incidents throughout both weekends, including two notable ones that disrupted the races of both Alex Albon and Kevin Magnussen. As a result, Perez is facing criticism for his daring maneuvers, adding to the mounting pressure on him.
Sergio Perez is urged to reflect on his actions as Guenther Steiner and Alex Albon respond to his recent actions.
In a race that was already challenging for Red Bull in Singapore, Sergio Perez added to his difficulties by colliding with Alex Albon. As he was trying to make his way back up through the field, Perez attempted a risky inside move, causing Albon's FW45 to briefly hit the barriers and negatively affecting his race. Moving forward to Japan, Perez was once again having a tough race. He had already received a 5-second penalty for violating yellow flag rules.
Adding to his troubles, when he was pursuing Kevin Magnussen, Perez made an audacious inside move at the Hairpin, resulting in K-Mag's Haas VF23 spinning out. Magnussen expressed his frustration by saying, "It doesn't reflect well on him, but that's racing. He was in a difficult position, and he made a questionable move." It's no surprise that Guenther Steiner may be quite displeased with these incidents!
When asked by Motorsport.com about Checo's incident with Magnussen, Steiner mentioned, "He already had a penalty before he hit us, I don't know exactly what he did under the yellow, but he did break the rules. And obviously some more pressure and then these things happen. It's five seconds, but there's no consequence because he retired afterwards. I'm never pleased that someone has to retire, but he significantly impacted our race, so I'm not pleased about that either."
Albon, who recently experienced Perez's aggressive racing style, witnessed this collision up close. The Thai driver was approaching the Hairpin when Perez and K-Mag collided. He also criticized Perez's actions. Alex revealed that Perez had attempted a similar move on him at the same corner, but he managed to avoid it. He remarked, "And then he did it again to Kevin. I was behind him, so I had the best view of everyone. And so clearly it's not really teaching the drivers anything because the penalties aren't strict enough. I mean, that's two races in a row."
There's definitely a need for Perez to adopt a more composed approach and avoid making desperate moves. His frustration at not performing at Max Verstappen's level is apparent in his on-track behavior. So, what's happening at Red Bull? Is Perez's seat in jeopardy?
Is there a possibility of Perez losing his position at Red Bull?
Typically, when a driver senses that their job is at risk due to poor performance, they tend to resort to desperate moves on the track. Sergio Perez currently holds a contract with Red Bull for 2024, but as history has shown in F1, contracts can be somewhat precarious (as seen with Lawrence Stroll and Aston Martin). Therefore, if Red Bull deems Perez's performance issues as something they cannot tolerate, they might choose to terminate his contract earlier than anticipated.
The key question here is how long Red Bull can endure Perez's subpar performance and unpredictability. Additionally, if they decide to part ways with him, do they have a viable and swift replacement lined up? Red Bull is known for its no-nonsense approach to underperforming drivers, which puts pressure and uncertainty on Perez. Meanwhile, they might already have potential replacements in mind, such as Daniel Ricciardo or even Yuki Tsunoda.
Ricciardo's return to AlphaTauri and an extension of his contract into 2024 isn't merely a short-term decision. There could be a broader strategy behind his reentry into the Red Bull fold. It's unlikely that Ricciardo has long-term ambitions to stay at AlphaTauri, and his ultimate goal might be Perez's seat at Red Bull. Red Bull, in turn, might consider taking a chance on Tsunoda if they feel that Ricciardo's return is not the best option due to age-related concerns.
>>> Read more: Driver Argues Former Mclaren Driver Is A Superior Performer To Verstappen
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