At Red Bull Racing, they have stability within the team for the first time since 2018. With Max Verstappen they have a commitment through 2028, while on Tuesday it was officially announced that Sergio Perez will be part of Red Bull through 2024. Good news not only for Perez, but also for Verstappen, who can count on strong opposition for the first time in a long time.

So far in his F1 career, Verstappen has faced serious opposition within his own team twice. In his first year of F1, he was often battling with teammate Carlos Sainz and once he was transferred to the great Red Bull in Spain 2016, he had over two years with Daniel Ricciardo by his side.

Gasly fails after six months

Until 2018, the two drivers were hugely matched. Ricciardo had the experience, Verstappen was the promising talent. In 2018, it looked more and more like the Dutchman was taking over the lead within the team, to the displeasure of the Australian. This led to Ricciardo parting ways with Red Bull at the end of 2018, to switch to Renault.

Pierre Gasly became his replacement, but it was soon clear that decision was made a year too soon. Error after error and crash after crash followed, and in the summer break of 2019 the Frenchman was replaced by Alexander Albon. All to ensure Verstappen had a teammate who could keep up with him. Albon fared better than Gasly, but it was still nothing to write home about.

Albon scores podiums

A podium finish in Brazil and Austria were denied him by Lewis Hamilton and Albon eventually had to wait until Mugello 2020 for his first podium finish. Satisfied Red Bull was not, and Verstappen also often complained about the lack of backing in battle with Mercedes. Indeed, where the Germans had Valtteri Bottas to stop Red Bull attacks on Lewis Hamilton, Red Bul could hardly pull off similar tricks.

That's why Sergio Perez was brought in for 2021. A driver with proven experience had to ensure that Red Bull was lifted to a higher level. Also for Verstappen, who wanted to be the first driver to win the title. It was a volatile year for Perez, but in Abu Dhabi was proven why Verstappen needs a second driver to become champion.

Perez's experience important

Perez held off Hamilton incredibly and this allowed Verstappen to rejoin. In doing so, the Mexican showed he had the speed, but also the ability to make decisions for the team. For the coming years Red Bull will have two strong drivers with a lot of experience.

This is great news for Verstappen, because he is not the only driver who has to work on improving the car. The expertise of Perez can help, at least for two more years. But Perez's speed will also ensure that the Dutchman is kept on his toes. Instead of a driver who is constantly chasing him, for the next few years he will have to deal with a driver who knows what it is like to win.