Alan Jones believes 37-podium F1 star is definitely not ‘a number one’ driver

Follow us on Google Discover

Former Formula 1 world champion Alan Jones has said that Sergio Perez is not a number one driver ‘by any stretch of the imagination’.

Driving alongside Max Verstappen has been a challenge for all of his teammates at Red Bull in the past.

Speaking to the Herald Sun, Jones has praised the Mexican driver but admitted he couldn’t see him being a team leader.

Jones says Perez is not a number one driver

Max Verstappen has gone through four teammates since stepping up to the senior Red Bull team in Barcelona in 2016.

He went on to win that race after both Mercedes drivers took each other out on the opening lap, but it was an early sign that he might begin to dominate Daniel Ricciardo.

The Australian left at the end of the 2018 season and was replaced by Pierre Gasly but he didn’t see out the entirety of the 2019 campaign.

Instead, he was switched with Alex Albon who has previously spoken about his difficulties with racing against the Dutchman.

When the Thai driver moved on, Red Bull looked outside their roster of drivers to find a suitable teammate for Verstappen and settled on Sergio Perez.

The 37-podium driver was fantastic in his final season with Racing Point but knew he was being replaced by Sebastian Vettel when the team became Aston Martin.

Jones has admitted that while Perez isn’t a number one driver, he’s done a great job alongside Verstappen.

He’s been asked to do more by Christian Horner this year but couldn’t do anything more than finishing second to his teammate at each race this season.

Red Bull have perfect driver pairing…for now

Talking about the Mexican driver, Jones said: “That’s what Sergio is, he is a good No. 2, he is a good No. 2 to Max.

“He is not a number one by any stretch of the imagination, but he is doing what the team expects of him.”

With Verstappen dominating the way he is right now, Red Bull won’t want to mess with the dynamic of the team.

As Jones suggests, Perez is a really strong number two for Red Bull but it’s hard to believe that the 34-year-old’s ambitions end at being the best of the rest behind his teammate.

Unfortunately, the Dutchman is simply in unstoppable form and perfectly in tune with the fastest car on the grid.

He could match his own record for most consecutive wins in Australia unless Perez can deny him that accolade.

But, Perez’s contract ends at the end of the season and Verstappen has sensationally been linked with a move away from the best team of the grid.