Red Bull suffer blow in hunt for Sergio Perez replacement as F1 rival “plays a blinder”
As Sergio Perez continues to struggle to deliver the results expected of him this season, Red Bull is considering their options for pairing Max Verstappen in the future.
In his opinion, McLaren “played a blinder” to sign Oscar Piastri to a long-term Formula 1 contract, according to Karun Chandhok.
The Australian racer is having an outstanding first season. Even at the beginning of the year, when the team lacked a competitive car, he was praised for the work he was doing in the background to advance McLaren.
And he is now reaping the benefits as the Woking-based squad is operating at peak efficiency. Piastri has accumulated 83 points so far in 2023 and, given his recent scoring rate, is on track to break the mark for the most points by an F1 rookie in a single season.
So it makes sense that McLaren was motivated to ensure his long-term future.
The 22-year-old signed an extension to his contract last month, keeping him with the team through the end of 2026.
It might turn out to be a crucial decision.
In order to find a reliable backup for Max Verstappen, something Sergio Perez has struggled to do, Christian Horner hasn’t done much to hide the fact that his Red Bull team will be searching for drivers at the end of the upcoming season, if not earlier.
But he has also acknowledged that having two “alpha drivers” on the same team could cause problems, which might rule out Lando Norris, who has long been associated with Red Bull.
Horner may have found the ideal target in Piastri, a superstar rookie with tons of potential.
Because of this, McLaren’s choice to lock him into a contract is a wise one, according to Sky Sports pundit Chandhok.
As we wait to see what will happen for next year, he said, “I think this is a really interesting time in the driver market.”.
Because they secured Lando for the following two years and Oscar has established himself as a minor star, I believe McLaren and Zak [Brown, CEO] pulled off a brilliant move by locking down Oscar.
They are in a good negotiating position now that Lando is committed for the next two years and Oscar is beyond it because they have driving stability.
With all that, the upcoming seasons will be enjoyable.
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Piastri’s point total at the Qatar Grand Prix was the highest to date.
His best Grand Prix finish of the year was second place behind race winner Verstappen in the main event after winning the Sprint on Saturday.
