Ex-Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher believes Alex Albon would be a great replacement for Sergio Perez, if the Williams driver was available.
Unfortunately for Red Bull, their former driver isn’t available for purchase, meaning Daniel Ricciardo is realistically the only driver who could replace Perez.
Perez is seriously struggling for form currently and has claimed just one podium in the last five races, a period where he hasn’t progressed to Q3 once.
The Red Bull driver is in desperate need of a clean weekend, something he hasn’t experienced since the Miami Grand Prix.
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With Ricciardo having been loaned by Red Bull to AlphaTauri to replace Nyck de Vries, the pressure is arguably now on the Mexican to perform or perhaps be replaced by the Aussie.
Likewise, Ricciardo must perform well at the Faenza-based team if he wants to challenge Checo for his Red Bull seat.
Whilst his performances are currently below-par, Schumacher is convinced that Perez will remain at Red Bull next season, due to the fact he’s contracted for 2024.
“Perez is currently showing that a dominant car is not everything, and yet I strongly believe that he will also be in the Red Bull next year,” Schumacher wrote in a column for Sky Deutschland.
“If Alex Albon were free – which he isn’t – or if Ricciardo comes into action now and can show his class, it could perhaps be tight.
“But he has a contract and therefore I can almost not imagine a separation. But almost nothing is impossible in Formula 1.”
Red Bull will surely have to consider Ricciardo though if he gets the most out of the poor AT04.
Racing for AlphaTauri will be immensely challenging for Ricciardo given how bad their car is and the fact he hasn’t raced since the end of the 2022 season.
Schumacher thinks his short sabbatical will have benefitted him and that the AT04 might even suit him, something which will be discovered shortly.
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“You just hoped for more, but whether it will really be Ricciardo in the end, we’ll have to wait and see,” Schumacher wrote.
“I think the little break has certainly done him some good and he can take a relaxed approach.
“However, the car is not particularly good, but who knows? Maybe the concept suits him. The tyre test will certainly set the first course.”