“We really need Checo to get into that window because – not this year so much but next year – we need him to fire on all cylinders.”
Sergio Perez needs to do more for the team to be able to depend on him in a closer championship fight in the future, not this season,
according to Red Bull team principal Christian Horner’s first honest admission in Qatar. This seems like a significant step in Red Bull’s
awareness of its driver situation rather than in their relationship.
For a time, it looked as though Red Bull would win easily thanks to the superior 2023 car and Max Verstappen’s skill as a driver.
Verstappen alone has patched up any holes with the second driver, such that
As we have consistently stated, Red Bull should be concerned about Perez’s inconsistent performance when there is a closer rivalry,
which might occur at the end of the current season or later on if Red Bull faces a closer contender for the title.
Perez can’t be relied upon to back a title challenge when he’s at his poorest, which has happened in the previous few race weekends
and on Saturdays in especially multiple times this season. He simply lacks the necessary speed and competitiveness.
However, Red Bull hasn’t had to worry about that as it was always a concern for the future. With just a few races remaining in current
season, a potentially altered 2024 season is not too far off.
Red Bull is unable to make any assumptions. Furthermore, it is not in Red Bull’s best advantage as a premier sports organization to
presume that it will lead the pack. Planning for the worst is necessary.
Red Bull has all it needs from Perez when he’s at his best, even in a closer championship match.
For Red Bull to truly benefit from Perez, he must play at the peak of his game for the entirety of the season, or at least 95% of it.
Perez hasn’t been at his best in a long time—we haven’t seen him play his best since Baku about six months ago.
Let’s presume, though, that Ricciardo isn’t performing at his peak. Assume Ricciardo is at the McLaren level. Red Bull won’t be
satisfied with that either because he performed appallingly well at McLaren.
There is a benefit to Ricciardo even in that case. Should he demonstrate at AlphaTauri that he is physically fit and displays some of his
previous racecraft,
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