RED BULL are ready to replace Sergio Perez with rival driver Yuki Tsunoda, shock reports claim.
The Mexican is clinging onto teammate Max Verstappen with the driver’s championship looking certain to be won by one of the Red Bull drivers due to their incredible speed advantage.
But Verstappen has the edge in the early-season standings after Perez had to start from the back of the grid in the last race in Australia following a poor qualifying.
And while the 33-year-old managed to climb up to fifth place amid the chaos in Melbourne, speculation has intensified over his position.
Marca report that Red Bull may turn their attention to their sister team Alpha Tauri where Tsunoda, 22, is impressing.
The Japanese driver arrived at the team in 2021 but his first season saw the driver crash repeatedly and go viral over his furious team radio rants.
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But since then Tsunoda has been more consistent and managed to land his first point of the season in Australia despite his underwhelming car.
Red Bull have often turned to their sister team for drivers with Verstappen initially driving for them before being fast-tracked in 2016.
Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon also started at Alpha Tauri – formerly named Toro Rosso – before being upgraded by Red Bull.
Albon’s struggles saw Red Bull abandon their promotion policy and opt for experienced driver Perez at the end of the 2020 season.
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Racing Point had chosen to bin the star at the end of the year but he enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career and won the Sakhir Grand Prix despite being last at the end of the first lap.
Red Bull saw Perez, who has been on the grid since 2011, as the perfect experienced counterpart to Verstappen.
Their first season together saw Verstappen locked in a fight with Lewis Hamilton for the title as Perez played his part with a titanic defence against the Brit during the infamous race in Abu Dhabi.
But cracks in their partnership appeared at the end of last season when Verstappen furiously refused to switch positions with Perez in Brazil, despite the Dutchman having already won the title.
That tension continued into this season with Perez demanding a “review” into information drivers were receiving from pit walls after fending off Verstappen to win in Saudi Arabia last month.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
