Heading into this weekend’s Monaco Grand, there are two drivers on the end of a qualifying whitewash from their teammate. One of those is Logan Sargeant at Williams.
In fact, stretching back to his Formula 1 debut at the start of last year, Sargeant has lost out to Alex Albon in 28 consecutive Grand Prix qualifying sessions. He beat Albon in sprint qualifying in Miami, but this doesn’t count towards his record.
Predictably, this has led to uncertainty around the American’s future. There’s even been talk that he could lose his seat midway through the season, with Mercedes youngster Kimi Antonelli waiting in the wings.
F1 pundit David Coulthard has told the 23-year-old that he simply isn’t ‘cut out’ for F1. Commentator Alex Jacques feels Williams are ‘running out of patience’, but he isn’t the only driver on the end of a hiding from his teammate.
Sergio Perez told he won’t finish second in the championship
Sergio Perez trails Max Verstappen 7-0 in the qualifying battle at Red Bull. Granted, the three-time world champion poses a much sterner test than Albon, but Perez is also a vastly experienced driver.
Last year, he was on the wrong end of a record 290-point deficit to Verstappen in the standings. He then made a promising start to 2024 by scoring three runner-up finishes in the first four races, prompting Christian Horner to compare him to Damon Hill.
But the last few races have been more difficult. He was unfortunate to miss out on second place in China as Lando Norris got lucky with the timing of a safety car, but he was left behind in Miami as he finished fourth.
At Imola, he produced by far his poorest showing of the campaign to date, suffering a dismal Q2 exit and only recovering to eighth in the race. He’s now fallen 54 points behind Verstappen (161 vs 107), and surrendered second place to Charles Leclerc (113).
Speaking on Viaplay’s In the Slipstream show, racing driver Mike Hezemans slammed Perez’s performances this year. He says his deficit to Verstappen is ‘too ridiculous for words’, and thinks it will cost him an invitation to the FIA prizegiving at the end of the year.
“He’s not going to finish second in the championship,” he said. “I think he’s going to finish fourth. Perez is not fast enough and also makes mistakes. He will have a number of total off weekends, where he is nowhere at all.
“It’s always four tenths. If Perez is third and Max is sixth, then I look at Perez and subtract three tenths. Then I look at where that car really is. It’s actually too ridiculous for words that he’s three, four-tenths off his teammate. In the end, that is always the case.”
Sergio Perez receives ‘good news’ in pursuit of Red Bull extension
Perez’s drop-off in the last couple of races is particularly significant in the context of his contract situation. He’s hoping to earn an extension for 2025 and beyond.
With Daniel Ricciardo struggling and Yuki Tsunoda not engaged in active talks with Red Bull, Carlos Sainz poses the main threat. Sainz is, of course, without a drive for next year after Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari.
Christian Horner is keen to put him in the car, but Helmut Marko is pushing back on the idea. And in the words of Sky Sports F1 reporter Craig Slater, this could be ‘good news’ for Perez.
The 34-year-old flew out of the blocks in 2023, winning two of the first four Grands Prix. But his form sharply tailed off thereafter as he scored just six podiums in the next 18 races.
Perez has to be wary of this season following a similar pattern. Last year, he had the protection of a contract, but that’s not the case this time.
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