Martin Brundle suggests ‘disappointing’ driver will be a ‘real problem’ for £1.9bn F1 team in 2025

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The 2024 Formula 1 season has been one of the most exciting in recent memory.

Not only have McLaren finally discovered a way to topple Red Bull from their position at the summit of the Constructors’ Championship, but Lando Norris is making a late charge to challenge Max Verstappen in the drivers’ standings.

Another interesting aspect of this season has been what’s happened away from the track in the driver’s market.

Lewis Hamilton’s unexpected announcement that he was joining Ferrari has set off a chain reaction that will see more than half the teams on the grid line up with a new driver pairing in 2025.

Ferrari, Mercedes, Alpine, Haas and Williams have all confirmed new drivers for next year and Sauber and RB could potentially join them in that respect.

With new regulations being introduced to the sport in 2026, teams are starting to prepare now for when the pecking order could be completely shaken up.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

Martin Brundle was writing in his column for Sky Sports F1 after the Singapore Grand Prix where Norris proved that Red Bull have to take him seriously between now and the end of the season.

He had no trouble driving away from Verstappen when required and despite a couple of close shaves with the barrier, had a healthy lead when he took the chequered flag.

Verstappen minimised the damage by finishing second, but teammate Sergio Perez could only secure the final position in the points after a poor qualifying and tough race.

Brundle believes that Perez could become a real problem for the £1.9bn-valued Red Bull heading into next year, and it’s not the only driver conundrum the team are currently dealing with as Daniel Ricciardo looks set to move on.

Martin Brundle thinks Sergio Perez could be a ‘real problem’ for Red Bull next season

Brundle: “Sergio Perez would bring the second Red Bull home in 10th from 13th on the grid for yet another disappointing event. This is a real problem for Red Bull going into 2025.

“Their sister team RB kindly brought Daniel Ricciardo in for fresh tyres right at the end and he would deliver the fastest lap of the race which wouldn’t earn him a championship point down there, but importantly took it away from Norris and McLaren, who are complaining of unfair tactics with their main rivals having two teams on the grid.”

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Sergio Perez’s life outside F1 from net worth to nickname

Brundle’s Sky colleague Ted Kravitz admitted that Perez could be a problem for Red Bull going forward unless he can dramatically improve or find a way to better extract the performance out of a tricky RB20.

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is the example Perez will point to that he’s good enough to stay in Formula 1, however, the smallest judgment of error between himself and Carlos Sainz meant he had nothing to show for it.

While some at Red Bull have apologised to Perez for not listening to his concerns about the car, when chances arise for him to score big points and outshine Verstappen, he simply has to take them.

Red Bull suffered ‘massive setback’ ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix thanks to Perez

Team principal Christian Horner is well aware of the margins at the front of the grid both in terms of each upcoming race and both championships as a whole.

Horner believes he’s 100% sure he knows what’s wrong with the car but developing and installing a fix is a trickier matter.

Red Bull suffered a setback before the Singapore Grand Prix when Perez crashed at the end of the race in Baku.

Not only did it leave them with minimal time during back-to-back races to build and deliver new parts, but they missed out on crucial data needed to help understand where they’re losing performance compared to their rivals.

Red Bull have options they could call upon should they agree with Brundle that Perez is beginning to become a problem.

The trouble is that none of them stand out as a potential successor going into next year and beyond.