2023-08-31 08:48:45
8:35 a.m
Will Sergio Perez still drive for Red Bull in 2024?
Helmut Marko in particular is currently being asked this question more frequently. In conversation with Oe24 he gave an interesting answer. First, Marko makes it clear: “Now he has a contract until 2024.”
When asked if that was also a job guarantee, the Austrian replies: “Job guarantee, is there one in Formula 1? In any case, it’s a contractual guarantee.” Of course, that leaves room for speculation.
Or to put it another way: Just because Perez has a contract for 2024 does not mean that he will actually be in the Red Bull next year. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time that a driver loses his cockpit despite a contract.
Therefore, one should not overestimate Marko’s statement, but he was not really satisfied with Perez at the last race in Zandvoort. “Checo drives really well at times,” says Marko.
But he doesn’t manage to “always squeeze the last bit out of the car without making mistakes. In Zandvoort, for example, he probably wouldn’t have scored points without the crash,” explains Marko.
And of course that’s not what Red Bull expects of its drivers.
10:53 a.m
Wolff: Monza “the complete opposite of Zandvoort”
We’ll stay with the characteristics of the track in Monza. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff explains: “The circuit characteristics of Monza are the complete opposite of Zandvoort, so we’ll wait and see how we will do there.”
Because Zandvoort was “a frustrating weekend” for Mercedes. “There was potential, but we didn’t use it. We made the wrong decision when switching to the intermediates,” recalls Wolff.
“Both drivers fought back well but George’s puncture was the last straw. Missed chances are annoying but weekends like this only spur us on to fight back even harder.”
“We gained a lot of knowledge that we can take with us into the next race,” said the Austrian. Let’s see what’s in it for Mercedes this weekend.
10:30 am
rear wing
No other track on the calendar has as little downforce as Monza. That means: All rear wings are extremely flat in order to generate as little air resistance as possible and to increase top speed.
Below are some examples this weekend. Also exciting: Red Bull seems to want to test two different versions on Friday. Other teams should do the same.
10:21 a.m
weather at the weekend
Can we expect the next rain chaos in Monza like last time in Zandvoort? Hardly, because the current forecasts say that it will stay dry for the whole weekend.
The best thing to do is to check our large weather forecast from time to time. This will be regularly updated with the latest information on the race weekend!
9:22 a.m
Villeneuve: Red Bull doesn’t care about the second driver
And so back to Sergio Perez and the second Red Bull cockpit. In this context, Jacques Villeneuve told us at an event organized by sponsor Heineken in Zandvoort: “I don’t think they care.”
Red Bull is not interested in who is in the second car. “They have Max,” recalls the 1997 world champion, explaining that the second driver is irrelevant. Also exciting: He believes that Verstappen would like to have Lewis Hamilton as a teammate!
“Of course, so he can show the world that he can beat Lewis,” he explains, adding: “That would be his ultimate goal. He would probably want that, but I’m not sure Red Bull would want that too. “
Probably not, because Christian Horner has already revealed in the past that Red Bull couldn’t afford both drivers…
09:10 a.m
Leclerc: We set the wrong goals
Ferrari is currently only fourth in the World Cup – far too little for the demands of the Italians, of course. Charles Leclerc has in conversation with the BBC in this context now reveal that the car for 2023 is no worse than expected.
“I don’t think we’ve achieved too little. I just think the goals weren’t the right ones,” said Leclerc. In other words, Ferrari set itself targets that were apparently far too low.
Because the new car, according to Leclerc, was definitely a step forward. “But unfortunately Red Bull had [im Winter] made a step twice as big, especially in the race. And that just wasn’t good enough on our part,” he admits.
Leclerc has only been on the podium three times this year. Last year he won three more races and became vice world champion behind Max Verstappen. He is currently only P6 in the drivers’ championship.
09:00 a.m
special design
Yesterday we already saw the special design here in the ticker, with which Ferrari is starting this weekend. In the meantime, Alfa Romeo has also presented a special paint finish for the home game in Monza.
This is what the car looks like this weekend:
8:50 a.m
What does Perez himself say?
The Mexican is one of the guests at the drivers’ press conference this afternoon. He will certainly be asked about his future. We expect the following pilots afterwards:
2:30 p.m.:
Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
Lando Norris (McLaren)
Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
3:05 p.m.:
Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)
Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
Alexander AlbonWilliams
8:42 a.m
Speaking of contracts…
This photo series shows that they don’t have to be worth much in Formula 1. In our examples, the pilots were even kicked out during a running season!
Photo gallery: Formula 1 drivers who have been released during the current season
8:27 a.m
Ciao!
Hello and welcome to a new edition of our Formula 1 news ticker. Time flies so quickly, it’s already Thursday again, and the premier class is starting its 14th race weekend of the 2023 season in Monza today.
The media day is on the agenda with numerous media rounds and the big press conference for the drivers at 2:30 p.m. Here in the ticker we provide you with the most important information, pictures and voices directly from the paddock until well into the evening.
Ruben Zimmermann accompanies you throughout the day. If you have any questions, suggestions or complaints, you can use our contact form. You can also find us on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube, and if you have any questions, you can also use our Twitter hashtag #FragMST. Here we go!
Here you can read our ticker from yesterday!
1693472678
#Sergio #Perez #drive #Red #Bull