Former F1 team principal Otmar Szafnauer has thrown his weight behind Sergio Perez's contract renewal at Red Bull.
Perez’s contract with the championship winning outfit expires at the end of the current, and while Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has talked up Perez’s chances of remaining with the Milton Keynes-based outfit based on his current form, the team is also considering other candidates for the plum seat alongside Max Verstappen.
Outgoing Ferrari charger Carlos Sainz has been cited as a potential replacement for Perez, while RB’s Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda are also vying for the coveted drive.
But Szafnauer, who oversaw at Force India/Racing Point Perez’s rise through F1’s midfield on his journey to becoming a bona fide Grand Prix winner, believes the Mexican remains Red Bull’s best choice for 2025.
"I was in Abu Dhabi [last week] doing this F1 thing, David Coulthard was with me on stage, and I was asked the question, 'If you were Christian Horner, who would you replace Checo with?'" Szafnauer said, speaking at an event to promote his new EventR itinerary management app.
"I said 'Knowing Checo as well as I do, I would replace Checo with Checo'. If I were Christian, I would still keep him there for next year."
The American recalled Perez's crucial defense against Lewis Hamilton in F1’s dramatic 2021 season finale at Yas Marina that secured Verstappen's first title, but he also highlighted the Mexican’s many contributions throughout that entire season.
"Let's not forget, the first year Max won [the title], it was partly because of Checo, partly because of the circumstance," said Szafnauer. "Don't just look at the last race, look at all the other races that also counted to that win.
"That was when he had the nickname in Mexico as the 'Minister of Defence' or whatever he was.
"He's had some lows. This year, from what I can see, apart from a couple of races where I think he should have finished a bit higher, he's doing it."
Given the tight competition in Formula 1, having a reliable and experienced teammate like Perez is a significant asset for Red Bull.
But Szafnauer identified racecraft as his former driver’s main strength, a skill that consistently shines through even when his qualifying performances fall short.
This weakness in one-lap pace has been evident during his tenure at Red Bull, where he has often struggled to match Verstappen’s raw speed.
"There are not many times that I can count where he worked for me where you think, 'Why did you do that in a race?'”, recalled Szafnauer.
"There's only one time I can remember, in Singapore, where he got frustrated and hit a Williams, but the rest of the time he is very, very good at overtaking without making mistakes. He's really good at it."
The former Alpine team boss also pointed to tyre management as another of Perez’s strong traits.
"When he was up against Hulkenberg [at Force India], Hulkenberg would always get him over a lap," he explained. "By the end of it, Checo could manage his tyres, and Checo would get him.
"Twelve laps into it, Hulkenberg would be on the radio [saying] 'My rear tyres are gone', even when it was front-limited his rear tyres were gone. But Checo? Never. He just has that ability.
"I hired Jun [Matsuzaki, chief tyre performance engineer], one of the best tyre guys, and he would tell him, 'In this corner, make sure you don't put any lateral load into the tyre because it'll wear it quicker'.
"So the drivers would know, that corner, that corner, that corner, just longitudinal load. Wait until it's straight before you get on the throttle.
"Checo could do it, and you didn't even have to tell him. He just had that sense of knowing what the tyre was doing, and that's a benefit."
It remains however that Perez has rarely seen the light of day against Verstappen at Red Bull, a fact that Szafnauer readily acknowledged.
"Max is just better,” he admitted.
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