Coming into the Brazilian GP weekend, the biggest talking point was Fernando Alonso potentially replacing Sergio Perez at Red Bull. Leaving Interlagos behind for 2023, one of the biggest talking points to come out of the weekend was Fernando Alonso replacing Sergio Perez, not at Red Bull but on the podium. Following many, many weekends of underperformance, Perez finally looked like he was back in the groove in Brazil. Unfortunately for him, his ‘groove’ wasn’t enough to beat Alonso, and it might not be enough to keep him at Red Bull either.

For months now, it’s been evident that Perez’s seat at Red Bull isn’t entirely safe, despite what his contract says. On paper, he may be safe until 2024, but in practicality, he’s far from it. And Alonso, whether he meant to or not, may have put the final nail in Perez’s coffin.

Sergio Perez may be at the end of his Red Bull road

Since the Miami GP earlier this year, it’s like all Perez has faced is criticism. Even after a weekend that would’ve been good on paper—climbing from P9 to P4—Perez just can’t catch a break. One thing or the other has led to the same outcome—appeals to sack him. In Mexico, it was his first-lap shunt as well as Daniel Ricciardo out-qualifying him. In Brazil, it was his inability to get past Alonso in an Aston Martin, when Perez was in an RB19—the fastest car on the grid.

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After breezing past the Mercedes duo to take P4, Perez was chasing Alonso in P3 almost throughout the race. Yes, Fernando is known for his defensive skills, but when you’re in an RB19, going up against an AMR23 that hasn’t been in form lately, the overtake should’ve been a piece of cake. Instead, Perez got past the Spaniard with two laps to go, only to be passed again on the final lap. In an Alonso masterclass, his fight with Perez for the final podium place went on till the finish line. Alonso beat him by just 0.053s.

Even though it was a close battle, F1 expert Peter Windsor wasn’t impressed with Perez. In his post-race debrief, Windsor said, “I’ve been very defensive of Sergio’s position at Red Bull. Yes, I’ve been critical of his driving. I haven’t been critical of Red Bull’s choice of Perez as a No.2 to Max because I think he’s the right driver to have in that car if you’ve got Max Verstappen.” But Perez’s failure in Brazil didn’t help his case. “But this is the first time I’ve thought, ‘Maybe Red Bull should be thinking about somebody else.’ Because he should’ve beaten Fernando Alonso today in the Aston Martin,” Windsor added.

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To rub salt in his wounds, Windsor laid out the chain of events. “[Perez] did beat him for one lap. He actually used the DRS correctly and got past Fernando. But then he braked too late into Turn 1, and Fernando got a run on him going downhill and repassed him. Talk about embarrassing.” As critical as Windsor was of Perez, Alonso had nothing but appreciation for his Red Bull rival.

Alonso and Perez showed mutual respect after the Brazilian GP

It’s not every day that such intense wheel-to-wheel action happens without any contact. Alonso drove a stellar race in the Sprint on Saturday, with classic Alonso overtakes without making any contact. He continued that momentum into Sunday, and his on-track battle with Perez capped off his near-perfect weekend (at least in terms of the pleasure of racing). Needless to say, he was happy with how the battle with Perez played out, and the Red Bull was as appreciative.

Following his podium, Alonso said in a post-race interview, “Very aggressive moves, a lot of respect, and I’m happy it was with Checo, and we could put on a good show.” Perez echoed the Spaniard’s comments, saying, “It was a great fight with Fernando. I don’t think with a lot of drivers you can do these types of maneuvers. It was really tight from beginning to end, and it was super enjoyable.”

Watch This Story: Will Daniel Ricciardo Get Swapped in for Sergio Perez at Red Bull?

Do you think Sergio Perez will stay at Red Bull in 2024? Or is 2023 the end of the road for him?