Red Bull advised avoiding Martin Brundle identifies Carlos Sainz as the ideal Replacement for Sergio Perez
Sergio Perez’s F1 future is in doubt following another miserable weekend at the British Grand Prix.
Martin Brundle would not bring Carlos Sainz to Red Bull (Image: Getty)
Martin Brundle would steer clear of bringing Carlos Sainz to Red Bull, should the reigning champions opt to fire Sergio Perez mid-season. The Sky Sports F1 co-commentator would instead place test and reserve driver Liam Lawson into the seat alongside Max Verstappen.
Perez signed a new two-year contract extension ahead of the race in Montreal after demonstrating improved form to Christian Horner and Helmut Marko. From there, he was expected to kick on and close up to team-mate Verstappen, but this has not transpired.
Instead, Perez heads into the Hungarian Grand Prix having taken just 15 points from his last six races. That tally is smaller than Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg’s return in the same period.
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The result of those struggles means that the 34-year-old has slipped to sixth in the Drivers’ Championship standings with eighth-placed Lewis Hamilton just eight points behind him. The gap to Verstappen, meanwhile, has stretched to 137.
With the gulf between drivers at Red Bull only widening with every passing weekend, speculation began at Silverstone that Perez could be replaced during the summer break with Daniel Ricciardo reportedly one of the leading contenders to replace him. Sainz, Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda have also been touted as options for Horner to pick from.
Asked for his verdict on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Brundle highlighted Lawson as his preferred choice, but admitted: “The trouble is for a young driver, Verstappen just breaks their head because he’s so fast and he can handle a car that’s a little bit lively in a high-speed corner.”
As for Sainz, Brundle is not convinced. “I think the problem they’ve got with the Sainzs, father and son, and the Verstappens, father and son [is that] it wasn’t a happy set-up back when they were Toro Rosso teammates,” he explained. “I think Red Bull are struggling to cope with one father at the moment, let alone two.”
Brundle also isn’t convinced about the prospect of Ricciardo returning to Red Bull. “You would say that Ricciardo’s head is in the right place to actually not be battered again by Max,” he noted.
“But I think that’s happened to Sergio, and his head should be in the right place as well. And as Rachel [Brookes] said, we sense Daniel’s under pressure for his own seat, let alone being rewarded [by] moving up to the top team.”
