Saturday’s F1 news once again focused on speculation over Sergio Pérez’s future at Red Bull, and Yuki Tsunoda has now put his name forward to partner Max Verstappen for the future.
The AlphaTauri driver said he would relish the challenge of trying to take on the Dutchman in the same car, although he admitted areas where he knows Verstappen will have the advantage at the moment, so he knows where he needs to improve.
Either way, let’s dive into Saturday’s F1 news headlines for the sport, as we have a race-free weekend before the three headlines.
Red Bull is said to have a ‘contingency’ plan in case Sergio Perez leaves
Social media rumors that Sergio Pérez will retire at the end of the season were denied by sources close to the Mexican driver when approached by PlanetF1.com, but a German report suggests that Daniel Ricciardo will be Red Bull’s choice to replace him. him in 2024 if he decides to leave.
This, in turn, could set off a series of events that could see Liam Lawson return to AlphaTauri full-time in 2024, despite Helmut Marko and Christian Horner insisting Perez’s contract with Red Bull expires. Pérez more than anyone will want to quell the doubters with a strong performance for the remainder of the season, holding a 30-point advantage over Lewis Hamilton in second place in the drivers’ standings.
Yuki Tsunoda wants to test himself in equal machinery to Max Verstappen
It is understood there is a long line of drivers keen to partner Max Verstappen in 2025, including two AlphaTauri drivers – and Yuki Tsunoda has now publicly stated that he wants to test himself against the world champion three times in the same vehicle.
He admits that Verstappen’s consistency and adaptability in mixed conditions is what sets him apart currently, but in a dry qualifying session he doesn’t think there will be much the difference between them.
“To be honest, I would like to drive the same car, because I don’t know that,” Tsunoda said in response to a question about Verstappen’s main strengths.
“Obviously, it’s easy to say he’s good. But [at the same time], we never drive together, and obviously the cars are different, so it’s hard to tell what the driving differences are.
Leave a Reply