The clear and present threat to Sergio Perez’s race seat has become a Formula 1 media albatross. No matter what else happens in the far far away world of F1, it keeps on repeating like a stuck record, stubbornly refusing to be nudged onto the next track.
But who do you replace him with and why does he find himself in this position? Best start with the second part of the question as to how a driver who was knocking on the front door of the F1 World Championship is no longer even at the garden gate.
Max’s car
A popular myth for the defense is that the car has been designed around the World Champion elect for the third time, Max Verstappen.
Rubbish! Adrian Newey designs cars that go fast. Cars that go fast are normally on the edge and difficult to drive. This combination is not mutually exclusive though. A less efficient car can also be on the edge and difficult to drive, ask the Ferrari and Mercedes drivers.
Both their car
However, in the case of the RB19, both drivers have been handed an extremely quick chariot. Max has a penchant for the way it works, i.e., it turns in on a sixpence.
This means it’s a little loose at the back. Checo, I presume, would prefer a more stable rear, finding this characteristic unsettling. For many drivers, it is a binary preference: understeer or oversteer.
To oversteer or understeer, that is the question
I must say I share Max’s view in that a car that oversteers a little is always going to be faster than one that understeers; providing the driver can handle it of course, and there's the rub. The RB19 has become more “pointy” than “pushy” as the season progressed, and Perez has struggled to adapt. Whereas as his teammate says, bring it on.
One problem after another
If a driver's driving style and comfort have been built on a particular handling characteristic, then a car operating at the polar opposite is bound to impact their confidence and therefore lap times.
This in turn can lead to a downward spiral. The driver tries harder and, in the process, makes more mistakes.
More mistakes mean even slower times and of course, accidents, and so the vicious circle continues for Perez. Consider the curious case of Daniel Ricciardo and McLaren.
It gets better and better
This of course has the opposite effect on the driver who finds the car to be what he wants. He just becomes more and more confident with what he can do with it. This results in him going even faster without really having to try. Consequently, he makes fewer mistakes and avoids accidents. In both instances, the two drivers' state of confidence is creating a self-fulfilling outcome.
Verstappen is now at that dizzy altitude where he’s forgotten what fighting for position and lap times tastes like, it just happens, whereas Perez is struggling to remember a good day in the car. Looking at it from this perspective, it seems clear why there is such a disparity between the two drivers in the same vehicle.
And a replacement?
Difficult. You need a young driver who can adapt to the car and likes the same type of handling characteristics as Max. I say this on the basis that Mr. Newey is in no hurry to change his design philosophy, and why should he?
You also need to ask if there’s anyone who wants to take on the current Champion elect in the second seat. I don’t mean beat him of course, but at least circulate within three-tenths of his lap time.
There is hardly a tangible queue of established drivers for that role. Ricciardo is the only replacement seriously mooted to fill the position, but I find it difficult to believe that the avuncular Aussie will fare any better.
However, there is one person who could fit the bill, and to the best of my knowledge, they will become available when Sergio's contract expires… I give you … Fernando Alonso.
Some may say that’s ‘no country for old men’, but I’m not so sure. If Alonso’s proved anything this year, it’s that he is still highly competitive and there is much that Max could learn from him in the tactical department. I can see an electric combination here: Daddy Bull and Young Bull!
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