Last Updated on November 25 2024, 11:58 am

Red Bull Racing could be considered the most ruthless of Formula One teams given their history of ditching drivers mid-season. Pierre Gasly is testament to this following his contract to drive for the team in the 2019 season.

The Frenchman was afforded the opportunity following Daniel Ricciardo’s decision to leave the team, made in part because the Aussie believed they were favouring his team mate Max Verstappen. Gasly qualified seventeenth in his first race with the the team in Australia and failed to score in the Grand Prix.

Over his thirteen races with Red Bull, Gasly only failed to score on three occasions but at the Hungarian Grand Prix his fate was sealed as he was lapped by Max Verstappen. Pierre had scored 63 points at the time and was sixth in the drivers’ championship, yet his team mate meantime had racked up 181 points.

 

 

 

Red Bull Ruthless history

Pierre’s best result for the team was at the British Grand Prix where he capitalised on a crash between Sebastian Vettel and his team mate and came home in fourth place. Despite getting the vote of confidence before the summer break from both Christian Horner and Dr. Helmet Marko, come the Belgian Grand Prix he was switched back to Toro Rosso and Alex Albon was promoted alongside Max.

Sergio Perez joined Red Bull Racing when the Alex Albon experiment of a season and a half appeared to have failed. It was the year Max Verstappen was to enjoy an epic duel with Lewis Hamilton, which culminated in the 2021 showdown in the Abu Dhabi desert.

Even in his first year with the team, there were question marks over Sergio, with his team mate winning the drivers’ title but Mercedes taking the constructors’ championship. Simply put, Valtteri Bottas did a better job as wingman for Lewis Hamilton than Checo did for Max Verstappen.

Max now has claimed his fourth consecutive F1 drivers’ title but it is almost certain that Red Bull will lose their crown as world champions. Once again the lack of team glory is the responsibility of Sergio Perez who despite signing a new contract back in June has failed to deliver. 

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Marko calls for ‘sit down’

Now 251 points behind his team mate, Checo experienced another miserable weekend at the recent Las Vegas Grand Prix. Having crashed out in the first qualifying session, Perez started the race in sixteenth place and he recovered to claim the last point on offer but was 47 seconds behind Max.

Red Bull’s motorsport advisor, Dr. Helmut Marko now reveals a meeting will take place following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend to determine Sergio Perez’s future.

“There will be a meeting after Abu Dhabi and the result of this meeting will be presented to the shareholders and they will then decide what the driver situation for both teams will look like for next year,” Marko tells ORF.

“I don’t know the exact gap now, but I think Checo has over 200 points less than Max. And then it’s clear that the constructors’ title is no longer possible…so if Sergio was anywhere near [Lewis] Hamilton and [George] Russell or Ferrari or even McLaren, then we would be well ahead again.”

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Horner outlines Red Bull options

Of course the comparison is obvious. Amongst the drivers of the top four teams who have won Grand Prix this year, Checo is the only driver of the  eight who has failed to claim victory this season.

When asked in Vegas about Perez’s future, Christian Horner admitted his place in the team for 2025 is not guaranteed. “We have drivers under contract, and we have drivers with options that remain between the company and the drivers involved. And there’s nothing to say on that. But if there was something to say, I’d tell you,” said the Red bull boss.

“I mean, obviously, a single point from Checo. It was a good drive from him, a good recovery. But the problem is, we’re starting out of position on the day that McLaren were weak. We would have liked to have taken more points out of them today.”

The decisive Red Bull of yesteryear has not been evident this season. Yes an underperforming Daniel Ricciardo was finally switched out for Liam Lawson but Perez’s stay of execution now looks embarrassing. Williams took the risk of binning Logan Sargeant for Franco Colapinto and the gamble paid off as the rookie scored points in just his second outing.

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Red Bull ‘secret’ tests

In fact such has been the promise shown by the young Argentinian at the recent Sao Paulo Grand Prix Christian Horner was conspicuous as he walked into the Williams hospitality area to discuss with James Vowles the possibility of Colapinto joining the Red bull family.

After yet another crash in Las Vegas, Red Bull are said to have cooled on the idea of the Williams academy driver and once again are looking in house to solve their Mexican problem.

Yuki Tsunoda is keeping V-CARB’s hopes alive of a sixth place in the championship and in Las Vegas the Japanese driver came home to claim the final point on offer. Tsunoda has been awarded the coveted seat in the Red Bull at the post season test in Abu Dhabi, which means Lawson will miss out given each team must run one driver with fewer than three Grand Prix outings.,

The reason Perez has survived the chop so long is simple. Red Bull ran a series of private tests with their drivers during the summer break and it was Sergio who outperformed all his would be challengers.

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Sainz too ‘political’ an appointment

Red Bull opted to not pursue Carlos Sainz, who once again in Las Vegas demonstrated he was way ahead of the Ferrari strategy teams decisions. Sainz alongside Verstappen would have given Red Bull the back up fire power which Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren have when their senior driver is having a poor weekend.

Yet talk of their dads not getting along together when they were partnered at Toro Rosso appeared to scupper the Spaniard’s chances of racing alongside Max Verstappen.

When the inevitable axe falls on Checo’s Red Bull career, he may be more than upset given the revelation he made in Mexico that he turned down other teams this year to remain with Red Bull Racing. As much as Horner respects loyalty, he knowns for the team to win its seventh F1 title, they need more firepower in the second seat and can’t rely on just Max Verstappen.

Marko indicates the end for Perez

 

 

 

Report: Shocking strategy calls reappear for Ferrari in Vegas

Ferrari went into the Las Vegas weekend as favourites to win the F1 race along the Strip. Yet as the weekend evolved it was clear it was Mercedes in fact who may be the team to beat. Topping each of the practice session time sheets, the W15 was clearly quickest over a single lap and started qualifying as favourites to claim the pole position.

George Russell indeed was quickest in Q3 but mistakes from Lewis Hamilton saw him finish the session last and in tenth place at the start of the race. Race simulations in free practice three appeared to suggest it would be Ferrari who fared better during the Grand Prix with tyre wear. The low grip circuit means the tyres grain as they slide around rather than degrade and the rubber on the Scuderia’s cars look to be in the best nick following the long runs on Friday evening.

At lights out Russell retained the lead of the race, but Charles Leclerc plundered space on the inside of turn one passing Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and his team mate who had started behind the Mercedes driver. Yet as the stint unfolded Leclerc suffered from a high level of graining and let Sainz by voluntarily due to his lack of pace… READ MORE