The fact that Sergio Perez is in second place in the F1 Championship does not stop critics from taking away his seat at Red Bull. Now it was Stefan Wilson, a former IndyCar driver, who called for Checo to be removed to test the current leader of the U.S. series.
“What Álex Palou is doing in IndyCar right now is impressive. It would be very interesting to move him to Red Bull’s second seat and see what he could do in Formula 1,” he wrote on his Twitter account.
And he sees the Spanish driver among the best on the planet: “He’s in the Top 5 best drivers in the world right now, there’s no doubt about it. Possibly in the Top 3,” he added.
He is in the top 5 best drivers in the world right now, no doubt about it. Arguably top 3.
— Stefan Wilson (@stef_wilson) June 18, 2023
Who is Alex Palou?
The 26-year-old Spaniard is the current IndyCar leader with 324 points, 74 points ahead of his closest challenger, Marcus Ericsson.
Alex Palou is already an old acquaintance of Formula 1, who has climbed into the McLaren during some tests in Barcelona and Austria. At the same time, he replaced Daniel Ricciardo during Practice 1 of the US GP in 2022.
The Catalan’s quality is in the sights of Zak Brown, who decided to name him Reserve Driver of the Woking team for 2023, as long as it does not affect his IndyCar calendar.
On the other hand, Alex Palou, together with the Mexican Pato O’Ward, and the American Ugo Ugochukwum, who participates in the F4 championship in the United Arab Emirates, was one of those chosen by McLaren to be part of the academy of young drivers of the British team headed by Emanuele Pirro.
With this, it seems complicated that the Spaniard can replace Checo Perez at Red Bull since he would first have to reach an agreement to break his link with McLaren, who has priority to test him in Formula 1.
Checo Perez is having a hard time in F1 but is happy in his personal life
Perez has been experiencing inconsistent performances in recent races, ranking 16th in Monaco, fourth in Spain, and sixth in Canada. Despite having two victories in Saudi Arabia and Baku, these results have impacted his current season’s performance, though he remains second in the drivers’ standings with 126 points. Amid the sporting highs and lows, Checo is set to embrace joy off-track as he and his wife, Carola Martinez, expect their fourth child, with the exciting news shared on Instagram.
Checo’s frustrations are evident on the track after a disappointing sixth-place finish at the Canadian Grand Prix, where his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen won. Perez, who started 12th after a poorly strategized qualifying round, voiced his frustration on social media, vowing to work hard to improve. In stark contrast, Verstappen continued to dominate the races, matching Ayrton Senna’s record with his 41st career victory. Despite the stark difference in their performances, Checo congratulated Verstappen on his win, marking Red Bull’s historic 100th victory. As Perez navigates through a tough professional career, he remains committed to regaining his competitive edge in the forthcoming Formula 1 races.