Red Bull warned against signing Franco Colapinto: ‘Sergio Perez brings stability’
"He brings sponsorship, and stability to the team. Verstappen is happy with him."
1997 F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve has warned Red Bull against signing Franco Colapinto, recognising the “stability” Sergio Perez brings to the team.
The second Red Bull seat continues to be a hot topic given Perez’s struggles.
Red Bull are considering promoting either Liam Lawson or Yuki Tsunoda, while Colapinto’s flashes of brilliance for Williams in his short time in the sport has reportedly attracted attention from a number of teams.
However, Perez is contracted for the 2025 F1 season alongside Verstappen, and the Mexican has always insisted he will be on the grid next year.
Perez hit back at reports he would retire at the end of the season with an amusing post on his X account ahead of his home race in Mexico.
The six-time grand prix winner posted a clip from the film ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’, with the character played by Leonardo di Caprio saying “I’m not leaving”.
Speaking to Grosvenor Sport, Villeneuve gave his view on the Red Bull situation - and whether Colapinto is the solution.
“Colapinto deserves a race seat,” he said. “But there might not be one available. It's very simple. Everybody is saying he will take the Perez seat.
“But Perez is there and he's under contract. It’s been 10 months now that people have been saying Perez is out at the next race. Stop saying it. He has a contract.
“He brings sponsorship, and stability to the team. Verstappen is happy with him. And who knows how much of the difference is because Perez is a bit lost right now, which can happen or just Verstappen being so amazing.
“So put another driver in there who doesn't do any better, what have you achieved? They know internally because they have other drivers with the Red Bull junior team.
“The purpose of the Red Bull Junior team is not to put Colapinto with the big cars, it's to build the drivers for the bigger cars.”
Red Bull are on course for their worst F1 constructors’ finish since 2019 as they sit third in the championship with three rounds to go.
Perez hasn’t finished in the top three since April’s Chinese Grand Prix.
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