Schumacher: 'Don't think Perez will still be driving at Red Bull next year'

Sergio Perez drove from ninth place to the podium in Hungary, but like Peter Windsor, Ralf Schumacher is not impressed with the performance of Max Verstappen's teammate. The former Formula 1 driver does not know whether Red Bull can afford Perez's inconsistency in the future.

"Perez has had his chance at Red Bull, it's over," Schumacher headlines his column, before starting his argument on the website of the German branch of Sky. The 33-year-old driver's self-confidence has suffered a number of knocks in recent weeks and although Sunday's race was more than adequate, he crashed unnecessarily again in the first free practice session.

"After numerous blunders in recent weeks, there has been a lot of criticism again after his crash in FP1. The problem with Perez is consistency. He has too many vicissitudes and may not be mentally stable enough. He is just too far away from Max and for me his days at Red Bull are numbered," Schumacher draws a harsh conclusion.

What will Red Bull do?

The six-time GP winner foresees future problems for Red Bull if this continues. Not only is there then a chance of missing out on a lot of points for the constructors' championship, but also in terms of feedback and the development of the car, two drivers are needed to get the most out of the package.

"It's not fair to put pressure on him, but especially in the future, when other teams are getting closer, as Red Bull you cannot afford to have one driver so obviously slower than the other," he said. "The team is logically trying to make Perez believe that his seat is not in danger, but I don't think Perez will still be driving at Red Bull next year," Schumacher said.