Red Bull told £6.5m-a-year driver should ‘actually’ be Max Verstappen’s teammate instead of Yuki Tsunoda

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New Red Bull Racing team principal Laurent Mekies will realise he’s got to solve one of the team’s biggest problems as quickly as possible.

Max Verstappen has papered over the cracks at Red Bull over the past two seasons and won a fourth drivers’ championship in the process.

The fact that Verstappen couldn’t extend his lead over Lando Norris for the majority of the 2024 season highlighted that something was wrong, but that was far more evident on the other side of the garage.

Sergio Perez finished on the podium three times in the first five races last season, but failed to record a top-three finish for the rest of the season, excluding Sprint Races.

Perez was replaced at the end of the year by Liam Lawson, but the New Zealander only lasted two Grand Prix before Yuki Tsunoda was parachuted into the team.

Tsunoda has had a very difficult time since joining Red Bull, and currently sits 18th in the championship going into the summer break.

It’s created plenty of speculation about what the team might do next, with Tsunoda’s contract expiring at the end of the season.

Pundit Jeroen Bleekemolen has been speaking about one driver who he believes should be Verstappen’s teammate right now.

The problem is, the previous team principal, Christian Horner, already let him leave the Red Bull set-up.

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Jeroen Bleekemolen says Alex Albon should ‘actually’ be Max Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate

Bleekemolen was speaking on the Paddockpraat Podcast and asked about how Williams’ season is currently going.

Carlos Sainz has had a tough time since his move from Ferrari, but Alex Albon, who is on a £6.5m-a-year contract, currently sits eighth in the standings with 54 points.

Bleekemolen explained: “Carlos Sainz he has shown a few things, but he’s also having a very hard time there.

“And that always surprises me, because then you have to get used to the car, and this and that.

“I didn’t expect that. And Albon is actually doing quite well!

“He’s been very good and shown some really nice moments. Do you see him enjoying himself when he has a good qualifying session or a good race?

“Then you see him, and he had, I think it was in Austria, a really good race, but then he was a bit disappointed and thought there was a bit more in it.

“He also has a lot of self-reflection, thinking, ‘Wait a minute, this looks good on paper, but I made that little mistake there, and a little mistake there.’

“I think he’s doing really well. Maybe, he should actually be the one next to Max, but he’s already sat there.”

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Red Bull owners would love to bring Alex Albon back to the team from Williams

Albon has proven to be one of the strongest drivers in Formula 1’s midfield this season.

Many expected Sainz to put him under serious pressure, but the Spaniard has taken longer than he would have liked to his new surroundings.

The Thai driver has maximised virtually every opportunity presented to him this season, and if it weren’t for three retirements in a row due to mechanical issues, he might even be ahead of Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the drivers’ championship at this stage.

Red Bull’s Thai owners would love to re-sign Albon, but whether that’s a feasible option is yet to be seen.

Williams tied Albon down to a long-term contract last year, and team principal James Vowles will be desperate not to lose one of the most important people in the manufacturer’s renaissance.

However, if Red Bull come calling, Albon might find it difficult to turn down that opportunity.