Ricciardo wants his Red Bull seat, so will Perez sink or swim?
Already facing intense scrutiny in the wake of a woeful run of five consecutive races without starting inside the top-10, the heat on Perez has just been turned up a notch with the news that Ricciardo has immediately replaced the struggling Nyck de Vries.
Looking beyond the simple explanation that Ricciardo secured his return on the basis of his impressive Red Bull test at Silverstone, coupled with de Vries’ downfall, there is reason to believe a bigger ploy is bubbling away beneath the surface.
Placing Ricciardo back at AlphaTauri is a smart move by Red Bull. The team now get to properly and fairly assess whether Ricciardo has overcome his McLaren hangover, while the Australian’s presence keeps Perez on his toes, knowing a hungry driver with eight grand prix victories under his belt is waiting in the wings.
If both perform, as is surely the intended outcome, it will ultimately benefit both Red Bull and AlphaTauri. Failing that, it will provide Red Bull with a clearer answer of which way to go in the future. However you slice it, Red Bull end up the winner.
De Vries’ sacking was the latest in a string of ruthless decisions made by Red Bull and acts as a reminder for Perez that the Milton Keynes outfit has not softened expectations, nor abandoned their cut-throat approach to performance.
Although Red Bull have repeatedly stressed that Perez’s seat is safe for 2024, beyond that nothing is guaranteed.
Red Bull’s move only intensifies the pressure on Perez, who insisted at the British Grand Prix that he “couldn’t care less” about ongoing speculation about his future. One would imagine his stance has changed slightly now.
The scenario facing Perez is black-and-white. Up his game and he will retain his seat. Fail to live up to expectations and he could be in trouble.
Red Bull’s superiority and dominance in 2023 acts as something of a security blanket for Perez. The team are well on course to win a second successive constructors’ championship, with Verstappen’s points haul alone sufficient to keep Red Bull on top.
It is also Perez’s curse. Verstappen’s success behind the wheel of the RB19, having taken eight wins from 10 races, underlines the strength of their 2023 challenger.
It paints a fairly damning picture for Perez that in the same car he has won just twice, and only finished runner-up to Verstappen on two occasions. In five races, he has failed to even finish on the podium. Given Red Bull’s clear advantage, Perez should be doing much better in the machinery he has underneath him.
Perez will not be able to shake-off the scrutiny if he cannot turn around his performances, especially if Red Bull’s rivals emerge as more of a threat in 2024. That is ultimately when Perez’s below-par displays would become a serious issue.
There is also the Ricciardo factor to consider in this. He too needs to perform in order to have any chance of achieving his target of returning to the senior team, which he has been very open about.
If Ricciardo cannot out-perform teammate Yuki Tsunoda, that would only strengthen Tsunoda’s own claim for a berth at Red Bull, highlighting the impressive progress he has made since his debut in 2021.
Ricciardo will be Tsunoda’s sternest test yet. It would be equally telling for Red Bull if Ricciardo were to demolish the Japanese driver - an outcome that would likely be career-defining in a detrimental way for the latter.
Back at Red Bull and Perez can no longer afford to relax. His honeymoon period is over. It is now up to him to knuckle down and prove his worth to Red Bull, and there is no hiding place.
With his destiny still in his own hands, at least for the time being, Perez’s future hangs on the manner of his response.
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for Crash.net around the world. Often reporting on the action from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
