Jacques Villeneuve believes that Red Bull is primarily concerned about having a teammate for Max Verstappen who won’t disrupt the harmony.
The former Canadian F1 driver suggests that this comes as a huge relief for Mexican driver, Sergio Perez’s chances of retaining his seat at Red Bull despite his rollercoaster performances.
Despite Helmut Marko’s earlier statement that Sergio Perez simply needed to secure a runner-up position to Max Verstappen to retain his Red Bull seat, a shift in perspective occurred after the summer break.
The renowned Red Bull advisor has shifted the focus to McLaren’s Lando Norris, with Marko suggesting that Norris possesses the right qualities of youth and speed for Red Bull.
Still, the catch is that Norris is under contract with McLaren until the end of 2025. This situation may bode well for Perez’s immediate future, as Jacques Villeneuve believes Red Bull won’t risk placing someone in the second seat who might challenge Verstappen for the number one spot.
Per Motorsport.com, Villeneuve said: “I don’t think they care. They have Max, at the moment Max can win, they are comfortably ahead.”
“They are getting the image they want. Why should they bother and sign a young guy who wants to show that he is the new World Champion and cause trouble?”
And according to Marko, that’s a dream that Perez has woken up from.
“He has now woken up from his World Championship dream,” he said of his driver. “Maybe that will help him to focus again on delivering the best possible performance.”
In a shocking perspective, Villeneuve, the former Williams driver suggested that Max Verstappen might desire a stronger teammate to reignite a competitive challenge, possibly, Mercedes star driver Lewis Hamilton.
“I think Max would probably want Lewis,” said the 1997 World Champion. “Of course so he can show the world that he can beat Lewis. That would be his ultimate goal.
“He would probably want that, but I’m not sure Red Bull would want that.”
