Perez signs again: What did Perez do better than Gasly and Albon?

Sergio Perez will stay at Red Bull Racing until at least the conclusion of the 2024 Formula 1 season after the team announced a new contract on Tuesday. It was the dream contract that both Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon were once fighting each other for but are now firmly out of the race. What has Perez done better than Gasly and Albon to become the perfect teammate for Max Verstappen? 

The search after Ricciardo

Since the departure of Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing has been struggling to fill in alongside Verstappen. With Ricciardo and Verstappen, Red Bull might have had the strongest duo on the grid, but the Austrian racing team hadn't prepared for a such sudden earlier than expected exit. 

Pierre Gasly got promoted to the first team earlier than planned. That turned out not to be a good move for anyone. Red Bull didn't show its best side by demoting its own pupil after only six months and Gasly has made himself so unloved within the team that even a victory with AlphaTauri won't give him a chance at Red Bull anymore. Alexander Albon, unlike Gasly, did listen to tips and meekly adopted Verstappen's setup, but the Thai simply lacked speed. He was given a year and a half, but even that was not enough to be a real support for Verstappen.

Red Bull needed a second driver

In the 2021 title duel, Verstappen really needed that second driver and Perez was not always helpful. The Mexican was usually too slow on Saturday but could keep up on Sunday. Just as Valtteri Bottas was able to win a race on occasion, Perez picked up the pieces in Azerbaijan. 

In Abu Dhabi, however, Perez showed a first glimpse of what he can really do, holding up Hamilton tremendously, bringing Verstappen back on the Briton's tail. This was already hugely appreciated within the team, but the performance in 2022 will be even more cause for celebration.

In 2022 Perez hasn't made a major mistake and is exactly at a distance from Verstappen that you would expect from a second driver. In Bahrain and Australia, he qualified right behind the Dutchman and was, therefore, able to help. In Bahrain, he dropped out due to bad luck, but in Australia, he grabbed second place after Verstappen dropped out.

In Saudi Arabia, he had even accomplished the impossible by taking pole, while Verstappen did not get beyond P4. The Dutchman eventually won the race after Perez had bad luck with the safety car just after his pit stop. Again, he showed his value to the team. At last weekend's Monaco Grand Prix, Perez seemed more comfortable on Friday and out-qualified Verstappen on Saturday. He held his nerve to win the race and ensure Red Bull were on the top step of the podium when Verstappen was off the pace. 

Car suiting his style and Perez's mentality

Formula 1 arrived at the start of the 2022 season equipped with new rules and regulations. There can't be any doubt that the new Red Bull car suits his style. And there's no reason why he can't help develop that car further. Perez is only 15 points behind Verstappen in the World Championship and he is well in the hunt. Albon and Gasly were frequently four, five or even six places behind Verstappen. 

When Red Bull ordered their drivers to swap over during the Spanish Grand Prix, the Mexican was very angry over the team radio and requested a review into the situation. In the media interviews after the Barcelona race, Perez also vented some frustration. In a weird roundabout way, this may well have actually gone in Perez's favour. 

It became clear that Perez has fire in his belly. That he is desperate to do well. He is going to fight. And perhaps that aggressive and angry mentality, whilst displaying some kind of confidence, is an element that Albon and Gasly didn't portray.