Team dynamics are an important part of Formula 1; having two incredibly competitive drivers in the same car doesn’t always end well.
There are countless examples of teams hiring two of the best drivers on the grid at the same time and that decision actually works against them rather than aiding the team as a whole.
The Monaco Grand Prix raised this question once again and speaking on the Missed Apex F1 Podcast, racing driver and pundit Bradley Philpot believes one team are deliberately keeping a slower driver on the grid to avoid this conundrum.
Some fascinating intra-team battles are going on in Formula 1 this season.
Carlos Sainz may feel he has something to prove at Ferrari against Charles Leclerc after being dropped for next season.
The gap is narrowing between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris at every Grand Prix with the Australian coming out on top on the streets of Monte Carlo.
However, Red Bull don’t share that attitude and Philpot believes they’re deliberately keeping a ‘sub-par’ driver in one of the fastest cars on the grid in Sergio Perez.
The Mexican driver has had back-to-back disappointing Grand Prix and looks unlikely to add to Red Bull’s tally of 118 Formula 1 wins any time soon.
READ MORE: Red Bull driver Sergio Perez’s life outside F1 from net worth to nickname
Red Bull deliberately keeping ‘sub-par’ Sergio Perez on the grid
Monaco was comfortably the most difficult race weekend Red Bull have faced this season.
Sergio Perez missed out on Q3 in Imola but couldn’t even out-qualify Logan Sargeant in Monaco despite his Williams running parts that are over a year old.
Driving through the pack is virtually impossible in the principality but Perez didn’t even get the chance to see if he could upset the odds.
He was involved in a huge collision with Kevin Magnussen, eliminating them both from the race on the first lap and taking out Nico Hulkenberg in the process.
Perez appears to be suffering a downturn in form at a similar time of the year as last year.
However, that doesn’t seem to be a major issue for Red Bull who look set to extend Perez’s contract beyond the end of the year.
They’ve already told the most likely candidate to replace him – Carlos Sainz – that he won’t be considered for 2025.
That may come back to haunt Red Bull as Ferrari and McLaren continue to close the gap in the Constructors’ Championship.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links
Bradley Philpot unconvinced by Sergio Perez at Red Bull
Talking about the 34-year-old driver, Philpot said: “Yeah, if you deliberately keep a sub-par driver in your second seat to keep your number one driver happy and keep him out of any real threat, then when the other teams are close enough to fight you, you don’t have the option of using that second car for your strategy or to help you out.
“You don’t have another bullet in your chamber and it’s weekends like this where you find that out.
“I think Red Bull will be fine because most of the tracks aren’t like Monaco and so their particular weakness they have on bumpy street tracks, tracks which require massive curb use, that weakness isn’t actually a massive problem at most tracks and the car is quickest at most tracks.
“So actually, this won’t play out to be a long-term problem over the rest of the season.
“But, it’s at least heart-warming on a day like today to see that cause them an issue and so they’ve only got one proper driver in the team and that driver is then left on his own to fight the battles.”
Sergio Perez earning new Red Bull contract designed to keep Max Verstappen happy
It’s hard to argue that Perez is doing enough to earn a new deal at Red Bull based on his most recent performances.
It’s been clear for some time that there’s a sizable gap between him and teammate Max Verstappen.
However, when the car was significantly quicker than the rest of the grid, that wasn’t an issue as Perez could still make his way through the pack with relative ease even if he didn’t nail qualifying.
This season appears to be a much more difficult challenge and while Verstappen’s individual talent means he’s still the favourite to win the Drivers’ Championship, Ferrari and McLaren will feel they can take advantage of Perez’s struggles in the Constructors’ Championship.
Red Bull don’t seem worried about that and would rather stick with Perez than explore potential alternatives.
It’s been said that Verstappen’s camp might not be too pleased with Sainz arriving, potentially due to the increased pressure he would put on the Dutchman.
The grid may be even tighter in 2025 and Sainz is fast enough to take points off Verstappen in the same car and that could end up denying him a potential title as a result.
The post ‘One proper driver’: F1 pundit says 118-race winning team are deliberately keeping ‘sub-par’ racer on the grid appeared first on F1 Oversteer.