Guenther Steiner can’t wrap his head around why Red Bull is keeping Sergio Perez for another season.
Perez had a strong start this season, finishing second to Max Verstappen three times in the first four races. However, his performance has dipped, with no podium finishes in the last three Grands Prix and failing to qualify for Q3 in the last two events. Currently fifth in the Drivers’ standings and trailing Verstappen by 62 points, Perez’s performance is putting Red Bull’s lead in the Constructors’ Championship at risk. They are now only 24 points ahead of Ferrari after eight races.
Steiner shared his thoughts on ‘The Red Flags’ podcast, suggesting that if the teams started from zero now, Red Bull wouldn’t be winning the trophy. According to him, compared to the other teams, Red Bull is not as well set up with their driver pairing. While acknowledging that Checo is not a bad driver, he pointed out that other teams have drivers who are closer in performance to each other.
Steiner expressed his confusion over Red Bull’s decision, especially given their historical ‘off with their heads’ approach to drivers. He wondered why other drivers like Yuki Tsunoda or Carlos Sainz weren’t given a chance, particularly considering Tsunoda’s impressive work with the RB team.
The former Haas boss refuted the idea that Red Bull is declining. Instead, he believes Ferrari and McLaren have caught up. He remarked that Red Bull is now taking more risks and making more mistakes because they are being challenged, but he doesn’t see them slowing down. According to Steiner, it’s not a decline for Red Bull; it’s the other teams closing the gap.
Steiner concluded by saying, ‘If you hope that somebody is starting to go slow, especially Red Bull, I don’t think that will happen guys. That is not gonna happen. But the other ones, they’re good teams and they’ve caught up quite a bit now.’
Steiner remains puzzled by Red Bull’s decision to retain Perez, especially given the team’s historical approach and the strides made by competitors.
