Coulthard defends Red Bull for ousting Perez
Former F1 driver David Coulthard has defended Red Bull for replacing six-time F1 race winner Sergio Perez with Liam L ahead of the upcoming F1 season.
After months of speculation, Red Bull confirmed after the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that Sergio Perez would leave the Austro-British outfit despite the deal that would have seen the 34-year-old driver race for the team until the end of 2026.
The Guadalajara-born driver joined Red Bull in 2021, and helped his team-mate Max Verstappen win his first championship title that year, playing a pivotal role at the title-deciding 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
However, he has failed to deliver a consistent performance over the last couple of years. Perez has won five races with Red Bull, and finished second in the Drivers' Championship last year, but he has endured periods during which he simply struggled for outright pace in qualifying.
After a strong start to the 2024 season, Red Bull had elected to extend his contract by a further two years which would see Perez race for the Milton Keynes-based outfit until at least the end of the 2026 F1 season. However, the Mexican struggled for pace after his contract extension.
Explaining the reasons for Perez' exit, former Red Bull driver David Coulthard reckoned that while the Mexican has a positive personality, his exit from the Milton Keynes-based outfit were based on facts.
“Checo [Perez] is a very good human being, but it’s painful to watch the resistance to the facts, and I can only assume it’s a management play.
“Julian Jakobi is his manager — Julian we know and respect for many years; [he’s an] intelligent, good manager. But his job is to make sure the money is there.
“Given the relationship they’ve had together, and the success they’ve had together – the wins he’s had – I would choose amicable in the face of inevitability rather than screaming and shouting.”
“I took some heat from Mexico, all sorts of the usual vitriol, ‘What would you know? What have you ever achieved?’ and all that good stuff. But the fact is, I was merely basing an opinion on the facts.”
The 13-year-old driver explained that the main reason for Red Bull's decision was that the Austro-British lost valuable points in the teams' championship due to Perez's struggles.
“The facts are Checo, if it was a personality contest and one of the most liked drivers in the paddock contest, would still be in the seat. He’s a brilliant man.
"He has done a great job, and he has won lots of Grand Prix… but, last season, he didn’t match Max and it cost the team valuable points in the Constructors’ Championship.”
After ousting Perez, Red Bull elected to replace the Mexican with Liam Lawson. The New Zealand native joined the Red Bull Junior Programme in 2019 and after multiple junior formula successes made his Formula One debut with Scuderia AlphaTauri at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix, in place of the injured Daniel Ricciardo.
Reflecting on the decision, Coulthard added: “That’s a big opportunity for Liam Lawson, and a big pressure. But, as I’ve said in the show before, pressure is when you feel you’re not in control. Right now, Liam will feel pretty confident. He’s had a good debut alongside Yuki [Tsunoda].”
“Yuki was understandably disappointed that, having had a very strong season, he wasn’t given the chance at Red Bull Racing but I guess, ultimately for Red Bull, they asked the question of whether they think he’s a future world champion.”
