Guenther Steiner Questions Red Bull Over Sergio Perez in Daniel Ricciardo Comparison

Alex Harrington | Aug 10, 2024

Jun 8, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez (MEX) in the pit lane at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

In an interview with RacingNews365, former Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner has admitted his bewilderment at Red Bull’s decision to retain Sergio Perez for the remainder of the 2024 F1 season, despite his lackluster performance.

Perez had gathered only 28 points through seven races prior to F1's summer break, a record that significantly stirred debates about his future with Red Bull. According to Steiner, Perez's underperformance meant only one thing.

"I said live on German TV – 'I don’t think we will see Checo back after the summer break'. But I think 90 percent of people in Formula 1 said that, if not more than 90 percent, because his performance is just not there."

Following the Belgian Grand Prix and amid mounting pressure, the Milton Keynes team had a meeting to deliberate on Perez's future.

"All the messages we got from Christian [Horner] and Helmut [Marko] over the weekend were like, ‘We need to make some changes’, and that’s why I picked them up. I didn’t make it up because I cannot judge if Checo should stay there or not, and I’ve no vote in that decision. But the message was, ‘Yeah, there will be some changes’.

"I was as surprised as you guys when I read it. Nothing against Checho but he just didn’t perform."

Steiner also drew parallels between Perez's situation and Daniel Ricciardo’s struggles during his tenure at McLaren in 2022.

"He’s obviously in this situation now where he cannot overcome, a little bit like Danny. He just cannot get out of the hole," Steiner explained. This analogy underscores the challenges exceptional drivers face when underperforming within top-tier teams.

Interestingly, Steiner disclosed his previous interest in Perez during his eight years at Haas, citing the driver's professionalism and team compatibility.

“He was a good driver at the time. His behavior in the team was very good, he got on with people, which is always important. He was just a solid driver,” Steiner elaborated. "Maybe he was not a race winner or a championship-winning driver, but at Haas, we couldn’t ask someone of Lewis Hamilton’s class to come and join. But Checo was a potential candidate when we were doing well, so that’s what I saw in him."

Steiner, of course, has confidence in Red Bull's internal judgment despite the unexpected decision.

"I didn’t expect him to be there until the end of the year. But I’m sure they know what they’re doing," he said.