2020 Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain: Sergio Perez is on a charge from the back of the field. On the way to his maiden win, he encounters the Red Bull of Alex Albon. On an alternate outer layout in Bahrain, Perez pulls off an amazing move with his Racing Point RP20. Many view this as the moment Sergio sealed his Red Bull seat, poetically passing Albon. About three years later, things have changed, including the way these two race. Albon is carrying Williams on his own. Meanwhile, Checo is struggling badly at Red Bull. The last two races in Singapore and Japan perfectly capture Perez’s struggles.

The last two fly-away races have been awful for the Mexican driver. Major Incidents across the weekend and two key ones that ruined both Alex Albon and Kevin Magnussen’s races at either of the tracks. Perez is now facing the flak for his audacious moves as the pressure piles on him.

Sergio Perez needs to introspect as Guenther Steiner & Alex Albon hit back

In a race that was already quite difficult for Red Bull in Singapore, Sergio Perez made his life more difficult by clashing with Alex Albon. When he came behind Albon’s FW45 in climbing back up the field, he attempted a risky move down the inside. It forced Alex into the barriers temporarily, ruining his race. Fast forward to Japan, and once again Perez was amidst an awful race. He had already received a 5-second penalty for yellow flag infringements.

To top it up, when he was chasing Kevin Magnussen, an audacious move down the inside at the Hairpin – and there goes K-Mag’s Haas VF23 spinning out. Magnussen vented his frustration, saying, “It doesn’t look good for him, but it is what it is. We’re racing. He was in a sh**ty position, and he made a sh**ty move.” No wonder Guenther Steiner must be furious.

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When asked by Motorsport.com about Checo’s incident with Magnussen, Steiner said, “He already had a penalty before he hit us. I don’t know exactly what he did under the yellow, but he did break the rules. And obviously, some more pressure and then these things happen. It’s five seconds, but there’s no consequence because he retired afterward. I’m never happy that somebody has to retire, but he just destroyed our race, so I’m not happy about that as well.”

Albon, who got a taste of Checo’s elbows out racing a week ago, had a front-row seat to watch this clash. The Thai driver was coming to the Hairpin when Checo and K-Mag collided. He too hit back at Perez’s antics. Alex said how he attempted a similar move on him earlier at the same corner that he avoided. He said, “And then he did it again to Kevin. I was behind him, so I had the best view of everyone. And so clearly it’s not really teaching the drivers anything, because the penalties aren’t strict enough. I mean, that’s two races in a row.” 

‘Nonsensical to Put Him With Max’: Red Bull Urged to Sack Sergio Perez After “Overambitious” Failure

There is certainly a need for Perez to calm down and not be so desperate while making moves. The frustration of not being up there with Max Verstappen is evident in his on-track demeanor. So, what is going on at Red Bull – is Checo under threat of losing his seat?

Is Perez under threat of getting kicked out at Red Bull?

Usually, when a driver knows he may get fired for underperformance, such desperate moves come to the forefront. Sergio Perez has a contract for 2024 with Red Bull. But who else better than him knows that contracts have little value in F1 (cough: Lawrence Stroll and Aston Martin)? Thus, if there are performance issues that Red Bull can’t afford, they may give Sergio the pink slip earlier than expected.

The question is for how long RBR can afford Checo’s underperformance and volatility. Besides, if they decide to let him go, do they have a quick enough and feasible replacement? The Milton Keynes team is never one to stay with a driver who doesn’t deliver top-drawer performances. Therefore, there is definitely some pressure and threat to Perez. Meanwhile, they also may have replacements ready with Daniel Ricciardo or possibly Yuki Tsunoda.

Ricciardo coming back to AlphaTauri and extending his stay for 2024 is not just a temporary call. There is a bigger motive behind his comeback in the Red Bull mix. No one can imagine Daniel wanting to stay at AlphaTauri for a long time. His aim is definitely at Perez’s RB seat (however cutthroat it seems, that’s F1!). Even Red Bull may want to take a gamble on Tsunoda if they feel Daniel may be too old to come back.

So, what do you think? Is Sergio Perez driving under pressure to cause all these incidents?

WATCH THIS STORY | Sergio Perez Caught in the Crossfire as Sebastian Vettel Dismisses All Attempts to Downplay Verstappen’s Dominance