Ex-Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya doesn’t think Sergio Perez’s seat is currently at threat, despite AlphaTauri driver Nyck de Vries having been sacked for underperforming.
The news was broken on Tuesday afternoon that after just 10 races into his rookie season, De Vries would be replaced by Red Bull development driver Daniel Ricciardo.
Ricciardo will complete the remainder of the season for the Faenza-based team, starting next weekend at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Many have seen this as a move by advisor Dr. Helmut Marko to put Perez under pressure, given how far he’s fallen in terms of performance since the Miami Grand Prix.
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Staggeringly, Perez has failed to make Q3 for five consecutive races, whilst he’s also only claimed a single rostrum since Miami.
His poor form has seen him slip to 99 points behind team-mate Max Verstappen in the Drivers’ Championship, meaning the Mexican can effectively forget about being World Champion this season.
As a result of his woeful form, many have questioned if Checo will be next to feel Marko’s wrath; however, Montoya believes the Red Bull driver is safe for now.
“Having Checo as a teammate gives a really nice atmosphere because Max is not under any kind of pressure. The media love to poke. The media love poking. It’s like a dog with a bone and people will react to the story,” Montoya told VegasInsider.
Perez does currently have a contract until the end of 2024; however, should Ricciardo perform well at AlphaTauri then it could cause an issue for Red Bull.
Montoya doesn’t think Marko has put Ricciardo in De Vries’ AlphaTauri seat to put pressure on Perez in regard to him potentially being fired, but instead to “perform”.
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The Colombian is certain that Marko simply wants to “get the most” out of Checo, by informing him to get his “sh*t together” by loaning Ricciardo to the sister team.
“The way Helmut works with stuff like this, he’s not putting pressure because he wants to fire you but he puts pressure on you to perform,” added Montoya.
“He’s looking to get the most out of you. He’s not patting you on the back and saying ‘you’re the best, you can do it’. No, he’s like ‘get your sh*t together or you’re out’.”