Sergio Perez started 2023 on a hot streak, one that saw him on par with heavily favored Red Bull Racing teammate Max Verstappen through four races. That all came to an end at a disappointing Miami Grand Prix where Verstappen caught and passed Perez despite starting deep in the field, and Perez has not been the same since. After a crash in practice today, the situation seems to be getting worse by the week.
While Perez at one point seemed like a long-term solution to the team's problems finding a second driver to pair with Verstappen, a string of disappointing qualifying performances since Miami has raised major questions. Red Bull is now very publicly looking for an old solution, bringing Daniel Ricciardo back into F1 with immediate effect and clearly illustrating to Perez that his time at the senior team is under threat from Verstappen's first teammate at the team.
Officially, Perez is safe for 2024 and Ricciardo's shot at the senior team is not expected until 2025. But, as Ricciardo himself found out last year, contracts are a manageable problem for a motivated Formula 1 team. It would take some deal-making, but Perez seems to very much be under threat for 2024 and Ricciardo seems to be the obvious answer.
All of this is a minor concern for Red Bull this season. The team has won every race, Perez still has two wins of his own, and both championships are effectively locked up already. In 2024, the team expects a more competitive fight, and expects that its hopes to win a constructor's title will once again require a competitive second driver. A pivotal Summer break is just two races away. If Perez wants to be that driver, he has to regain his form from earlier this year in the next two weeks.
