Ideal replacement for Red Bull's Sergio Perez identified after Monaco GP horror show

Lina PortmanMay 26, 2024

0 2 minutes read

Sergio Perez only qualified 18th for the Monaco Grand Prix while, for the second consecutive season, the Mexican Formula 1 star endured a horrible Saturday in the Principality.

Sergio Perez suffered a qualifying disaster in Monaco(Getty Images)

Red Bull have been tipped to replace Sergio Perez with a young Formula 1 star after his horrific qualifying result at the Monaco Grand Prix.

The F1 champions struggled all weekend and their problems were not limited to Perez. Max Verstappen failed to find his rhythm during qualifying and only managed to set the sixth fastest time, ending his streak of eight consecutive pole positions.

But while the Dutchman is still in contention to score points, his Red Bull teammate is largely out of the picture. Perez didn't even make it out of Q1 and was only 18th out of the 20 cars on track.

After the session he explained: “It was a disaster because first on my lap I hit a lot of traffic in turn six and then in turn seven and there were stickers at the top of the eight, so I had to avoid all that I ended up losing a few tenths which would have been enough to pass.

Sports Mirror understands that Red Bull are likely to agree a new deal with Perez – his current deal expires at the end of this year. And his poor performance in Monaco this weekend is unlikely to change the team's plans.

But former F1 driver Johnny Herbert has seen enough to believe Perez should be replaced. And he believes Yuki Tsunoda, who has scored regularly so far this season and finished eighth in Monte Carlo on Saturday, should be promoted from sister team RB to replace him.

Herbert told BestPokerSites: “Perez's performance wasn't good enough. Guys who are going for race wins and championships, it's about being consistent. Max had a bad day but he's sixth . Sergio had a bad day and he is 18th, he is 12 places behind. It's a bad performance.

Yuki Tsunoda has been very impressive for Red Bull's sister team RB this season.(Sport Icon via Getty Images)

“These are not the performances you would expect from a second driver for the best team in recent years. It is a huge disappointment for Sergio and for Red Bull.”

Watch Formula 1 on Sky Sports

Catch all the Formula 1 action on Sky Sports and get exclusive access to races, qualifying and more for every Grand Prix. From From Max Verstappen to Lewis Hamilton, you won't miss a lap on Sky Sports.