Guenther Steiner likens ‘struggling’ Sergio Perez to 105k-a-week driver in ‘very similar situation’

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Sergio Perez is going through a difficult spell at Red Bull having failed to score points in five out of the last six Formula 1 races.

The Mexican now faces a fight to secure his seat for the remainder of the season at the reigning world champions, after it was revealed that he must meet certain performance clauses in his contract related to Max Verstappen.

It comes following another disappointing weekend at the British Grand Prix, where he was left finishing at the back of the field while Verstappen came close to victory.

Perez started the 2024 season with high hopes of a title battle following a tough year finishing second to his teammate, but has committed a series of errors similar to last year in qualifying which has impacted his race performances.

Speaking on The Red Flags podcast, former F1 team principal Guenther Steiner believes Perez is going through a similar scenario as Daniel Ricciardo.

Guenther Steiner likens Sergio Perez to Daniel Ricciardo

Despite winning their first race in nearly 10 years at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix, Ricciardo was replaced at the end of the 2022 season at McLaren due to poor performance.

Steiner has likened his situation to the one experienced by Perez currently at Red Bull, where the Mexican also faces being replaced by a young driver.

“I think the car is pretty good, Checo struggles at the moment. He finished second how many times this year? At the beginning of the season quite a few,” said Steiner.

“He’s just in a struggle like Daniel Ricciardo had with Lando Norris at McLaren. He’s just struggling to keep up, it’s a very similar situation. Once you’re down, it’s difficult to get up again.”

How similar is Sergio Perez’s situation to Daniel Ricciardo?

Like Perez, the Australian also had a difficult spell in his final year with McLaren which ultimately ended in him losing his seat.

The Australian did not meet the performance clauses in his contract midway through the year and was soon ousted in favour of Oscar Piastri.

After spending six months on the sidelines, Ricciardo eventually returned with Red Bull’s sister team RB on a £105k-a-week contract. He has ambitions of returning to the World Champions following his four-year stint between 2014 and 2018.

Perez faces being axed if he does not improve his results in the next couple of races before the summer break when it is expected Red Bull will decide on whether to continue with him for the rest of the season.