Commentator Benjamin noted that Perez had regressed after finishing just 12 seconds behind Verstappen at the same race the previous year on BBC Radio 5 Live’s The Chequered Flag podcast.
He has been told he needs to get better right now since both Carlos Sainz, who will be replaced by Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, and Fernando Alonso, who is in the last year of his contract with Aston Martin, are looking for new drivers.
Benjamin stated, “I don’t think he is where he needs to be” (11:23). He may be in second place, but he is 20 seconds behind Verstappen, and Sainz in the Ferrari isn’t far behind either.
Yes, a few seconds ago, and he didn’t really gain enough ground on Perez to warrant concern.
However, Perez qualified in fifth place, which is obviously inadequate in that particular car. It’s safe to assume that he moved up to second rather easily.
However, it’s not really good enough for what could be his last season at Red Bull at this point.
Along with twelve other drivers, he is without a contract, and this season’s driver market is crazy. It is quite cutthroat.
“If Perez is 20 seconds down in the opening race of the season, Red Bull must be thinking, ‘well this isn’t really any type of improvement from last year,’ when you have Carlos Sainz, Fernando Alonso, and a young gun in F2 on the market.
In actuality, it has most likely regressed somewhat. In the season’s opening race, he may perform well. For Sergio Perez, though, I believe this to be dangerous territory.
