Movies

Formula 1: The surprise driver who almost replaced Sergio Perez

BBG News

Formula 1: The surprise driver who almost replaced Sergio Perez

As a die-hard Formula 1 fan, I can’t help but shake my head at the rollercoaster ride that is Sergio Perez’s career with Red Bull. One moment he’s on the brink of retirement, the next he’s extending his contract for another two years! The constant speculation about his future is enough to make even the most hardened F1 fan feel like they’re watching a soap opera instead of a high-speed racing series.

As a long-time Formula 1 fan and someone who has followed Sergio Perez’s career closely, I find myself once again pondering his future at Red Bull. Last season, after witnessing his impressive performance in the early races, rumors swirled about his potential retirement during the Mexican Grand Prix weekend in October.

Contrary to some rumors, that event didn’t occur, and Perez indeed returned for the 2024 season. His commitment to Red Bull was strengthened with a two-year contract extension, keeping him there until 2026. However, a challenging series of races has fueled further discussion about potential changes during the summer break.

Red Bull has affirmed that Sergio Perez won’t be temporarily swapped out during the hiatus, but there’s ongoing chatter implying that if his performance doesn’t significantly improve, he might be let go after the year 2024, even though he’s recently signed a new contract.

Despite rumors persisting, there are those who think a mid-season transfer for the 34-year-old Mexican player is possible. The team’s dedication towards him is being questioned by some observers.

What about the time when Perez was actually almost replaced?

Last year, during my inaugural season filled with challenges, I found myself let go by AlphaTauri. Stepping into my place is none other than Daniel Ricciardo, who’s been brought in as Red Bull’s third driver for their newly branded team, RB.

In his first F1 race at Monza with Williams in 2022, De Vries performed admirably while Alex Albon was dealing with appendicitis. However, over the course of ten races in 2023, his best result was a 12th place finish. By season’s end, he ranked 20th and last among drivers, outperforming teammate Yuki Tsunoda who managed five top-11 finishes during that period, only twice surpassing him in the standings.

Immediately after his poor performance, there were rumors that he might be dropped during the season. This wasn’t only due to his difficulties, but also because of the past practices by AlphaTauri and Red Bull regarding mid-season swaps.

Making the mid-season switch deep into the 2023 season contributed to the growing perception that Red Bull takes a ruthless approach when it comes to driver changes during a season, and this action fueled increased conjecture about Perez’s tenure with the team.

Despite the Dutch driver being only 29 years old, it wasn’t shocking that AlphaTauri chose to let him go early, considering their noticeable struggle with speed throughout the first half of 2023, making it seem unlikely he received a fair opportunity.

What was somewhat surprising, however, was the Formula 1 opportunity that de Vries almost got shortly before his release.

During the Austrian Grand Prix at Red Bull Ring in July 2023, Perez’s participation was uncertain due to his health issues prior to the event weekend. It remained unclear whether he would participate in the 24-lap preliminary race or the longer 71-lap main event on the 10-turn, approximately 2.683-mile (4.318-kilometer) race track.

Of course, spectators hoped Daniel Ricciardo would put on an impressive comeback with Red Bull if Perez couldn’t participate. Ricciardo was part of the team from 2014 to 2018, but he decided to move to Renault afterwards.

Instead, Chris Medland from RACER.com stated that de Vries was the one being considered to replace Perez in the Austrian Grand Prix if illness prevented him from competing. At that time, Tsunoda hadn’t had his seat fitting with Red Bull, and it seemed Ricciardo wasn’t an option yet.

Given the challenges De Vries faced and the persistent speculation surrounding his position at that moment, this unexpected turn of events wasn’t entirely surprising, yet it also seemed logical for several reasons.

Initially, the unforeseen chance to use premium gear would have benefited de Vries significantly. Although he wasn’t using top-of-the-line equipment, his performance at Monza in 2022 demonstrated his ability to seize opportunities. He achieved Williams’ best result that season and earned a quarter of their total points for the entire 2022 season in a single race.

If he had excelled in the RB19, it would have suggested that most of his difficulties in early 2023 were due to AlphaTauri not being competitive enough, rather than any other factors.

Initially, Christian Horner, Red Bull’s team principal, appeared reluctant about AlphaTauri hiring him. However, if this move had been made, it could have strengthened the organization’s faith in him, given that his successful performance might have changed their initial perception.

Additionally, it’s important to recall that Max Verstappen and Red Bull were incredibly dominant last year. By the end of the season, Verstappen had amassed a personal point total more than double that of Perez in second place, which suggests he could have easily won the constructor championship on his own.

As a gamer, I wouldn’t say that Red Bull was under immense pressure to find Perez’s temporary replacement spot-on for just one race weekend. Even if the backup driver ended up scoring zero points, it wouldn’t have significantly impacted their overall standing.

However, it turns out that opportunity didn’t materialize for de Vries. Fortunately, Perez managed to bounce back quickly. De Vries participated in only one additional race before departing Formula 1 entirely, while Perez remains with Red Bull, despite persistent speculation suggesting he might be let go sooner rather than later.

Read More

2024-08-07 13:32

Previous post There won’t be a new episode of Criminal Minds: Evolution on tonight
Next post Orlando Bloom goes full Cali surfer dude as he practices yoga in £600 Prada shorts while holidaying with Katy Perry on the Amalfi Coast