Red Bull ‘would be mad’ to replace Sergio Perez with Pierre Gasly

Sign up to the Independent's betting newsletter for the latest tips and offers

Sign up to the Independent's betting newsletter

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice

Red Bull would be ‘mad’ to replace Sergio Perez with Pierre Gasly at the end of the season, according to ex-Formula One engineer Kees van de Grint.

The 32-year-old Mexican joined the Austrian F1 team ahead of the 2021 season after being let go by Racing Point - who would later become Aston Martin.

Perez has been impressive since arriving at Red Bull, acting as a superb teammate for Max Verstappen who won the world title last year.

He also claimed a race victory of his own at the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

And Van der Grint feels it would be a major mistake if Red Bull considered bringing back their former driver Gasly - who has been linked with a return - to replace Perez for 2023.

Speaking to Formula1News, he said: “If Perez continues to perform as he does now, it would be madness to replace him.

“You have to be honest enough to say that he is a bit slower than Verstappen, who is clearly the No 1. It is very clear who the boss is, but Perez has done a great job and they are a great team.”

Gasly, 26, drove for Red Bull in 2019 before moving to AlphaTauri and producing some superb drives for the team often stuck in the middle of the field.

Last season, the Frenchman racked up 110 points and finished ninth in the standings, 78 points ahead of teammate Yuki Tsunoda.

He has frequently been linked with a return to Red Bull but it has not yet come to fruition.