20 October 2023 , 13:04
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Red Bull won’t consider replacing Sergio Perez with Fernando Alonso, despite holding a meeting with the veteran Spaniard’s agent.
Speculation has been rife over the future of Perez at Red Bull following a series of poor performances. The 33-year-old is under contract until the end of the 2024 season, but has struggled to get anywhere close to his dominant team-mate Max Verstappen.
AlphaTauri trio Daniel Ricciardo, Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson offer Red Bull in-house alternatives, while McLaren star Lando Norris and Williams’ Alex Albon have also been touted as replacements for Perez. Meanwhile, a meeting between Alonso’s agent, Flavio Briatore, and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner in Qatar sparked suggestions the 42-year-old Aston Martin driver could be in the frame.
But the Daily Mail says Red Bull insiders have dismissed the idea with a blunt response of: “Not a chance”. Perez is under pressure ahead of the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, this weekend, but is not about to be axed, especially with his home Grand Prix in Mexico coming up.
Ricciardo, who is set to return for sister team AlphaTauri this weekend, is considered the most likely replacement for Perez, were Red Bull to make the change. However, in an exclusive interview with Mirror Sport, Horner says the team are focused on helping Perez secure second place this season since Verstappen sealed another title. Despite his struggles, he is still 30 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton in third.
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"It's something that we've not achieved before and it will be something to top off what we believe has been our most successful ever car," Horner said. "We're doing our best to support Checo and help him to find the form we know he is capable of and demonstrated earlier in the year.
Sergio Perez is under pressure for his spot at Red Bull (Mark Thompson/Getty Images) HAVE YOUR SAY! Who would make a good replacement for Sergio Perez at Red Bull? Comment below.
"We're confident that he can rediscover the form that he showed with some fantastic races, like in Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia. Even as short ago as in Monza, he drove a great race there and finished second... people have short memories in this business and, in many respects, you're only as good as your last race."
Asked whether he had considered sacking Perez, Horner was unequivocal. "It's not something that we have discussed or even contemplated," he said. "Checo is our driver and we want to support him in the best way that we can.
"We believe that he can achieve that second place in the championship but he is up against tough competitors with a lot of racing still to go. We selected Checo in the first place because of his experience and his ability to be able to deal with pressure. He did a lot for us in '21 and '22, contributing to the constructors' championship last year and this year with the victories he has achieved.”