Ever since Daniel Ricciardo left at the end of the 2018 F1 season, Red Bull have gone through a multitude of drivers to try and replace him. Most recently, they hired Sergio Perez to partner Max Verstappen after showing Alex Albon the exit door. But what tells them he is going to be any different to Albon?

According to David Coulthard, Perez is more ‘mature’ than Alex Albon. Not only did the Thai driver buckle under the pressure of being Max’s teammate, but he also lacked the experience behind the wheel of the car.

“Sergio is an experienced and professional racing driver you can always rely on in a Formula 1 car,” said Coulthard. (Translated via Google Translate)

The other benefit is that Perez is not overawed by the presence of Max Verstappen; he’s been through a bunch of different teammates in F1. Not to forget his disappointing spell at McLaren, from which he came out as a more level-headed driver.

“He’s exactly what Red Bull needs. Because I have a lot of respect for Alex Albon, but he couldn’t handle the Max factor because he wasn’t a mature driver,” Coulthard remarked.

Coulthard cites Bahrain to further Perez’s case as Max Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull

Bahrain was the perfect vindication of the Red Bull management’s belief in Perez. He overcame a poor qualifying performance and a pit lane start to finish a respectable P5. He was stranded on the formation lap, but managed to keep his cool and start the engine on his own.

“This is exactly what the team needs to work in to become the champion. Perez knew every detail of Racing Point very well. But now he’s trying to understand his new car better. He needs to know all the keys and everything else very well.

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“I think we should give him six months, but I think he could be a great teammate for Max,” said Coulthard.

It is not very often that the energy drinks outfit hires drivers outside of their own talent pool. Naturally, they picked Perez after due deliberation and it is looking like the right decision.

Where Did Sergio Perez Come From? Chronicling the Red Bull Driver’s Journey into F1