'If Perez does not finish second, Red Bull should drop him'

In Sky Sports' podcast, reporter Nathalie Pinkham indicated that it would make sense for Sergio Perez to take second place in the world championship this season, but she still thinks Perez will lose that place to Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton. If that is indeed the case, Pinkham thinks Red Bull will show the Mexican the door.

'I think Lewis Hamilton is going to claim runner-up spot'

Pinkham made her statements in a podcast by the British branch of Sky Sports. The podcast also featured former driver Damon Hill and former engineer Blake Hinsey, among others. Asked who will take second place behind Max Verstappen this season, she replied,"It’s controversial, but I’m going to say that Lewis Hamilton will finish runner up." The Sky Sports presenter thinks this mainly because Hamilton's closest rival, Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin, seems to have lost some of the good form of the beginning of this season.

If Hamilton does indeed take over second place from Sergio Perez, Pinkham thinks Red Bull should look for another teammate for Max Verstappen:"But I will caveat that with saying that if Perez doesn’t finish runner up, he should lose his seat – because this car is an unbelievable piece of machinery. And I do believe that Perez has the ability, the talent to do it, so if he doesn’t then I’m afraid that is the end of his career at Red Bull."

Gap between Perez and Hamilton is 41 points

Verstappen's former perfomance engineer Blake Hinsey also chimed in during the podcast. He understands Pinkham's position, but nevertheless expects the Mexican to stay ahead of Hamilton and Alonso in the world championship standings. The gap between Perez and Alonso currently stands at 40 points, with Hamilton 41 points behind the Mexican.