Will Perez get help to secure P2? 'That's not good for anyone'

While the drivers' championship in Qatar could be captured by Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez still has plenty to fight for. The Red Bull driver is currently second in the drivers' championship, but with six races to go, he is only 33 points behind Lewis Hamilton. In the F1 Nation podcast, Tom Clarkson and Pedro de la Rosa, among others, discuss the importance of capturing that second place.

Should Verstappen help Perez secure P2?

The drivers' championship in Formula 1 is as good as decided. In fact, the only question left is when Verstappe will become champion. However, De la Rosa strongly wonders whether Max Verstappen is willing to give his teammate a hand in the battle for second place. "It very much depends if helping your team-mate means that you are going to keep winning, that’s fine," De la Rosa begins. "But if you’re going to give away wins, just for the sake of helping your team-mate it isn’t good for the team. It’s not good for Max. It’s not good for anyone."

The former McLaren driver, among others, thinks a second-place finish must really mean something special for Red Bull and for Perez to expect help from the Dutchman:"I mean, because if it means a lot, then I would understand maybe Max will help. But it has to mean something special for the team and for Checo to finish second. I personally think that finishing second doesn’t mean anything at all. You’re still finishing behind your team-mate."

'Perez's future at Red Bull may well depend on that second place'

Tom Clarkson, on the other hand, has a different take on the situation. He thinks Perez's future at Red Bull will depend on the final result this year. "If he doesn’t finish second, in that RB19, the team will not look favourably. It’s sort of every time they look at the result sheet at the end of the year, they’re just going to be reminded of how Checo has misfired this year," he begins. "I think it could speed up his exit from the team. Quite frankly, I think his future at Red Bull might even depend on that second place," Clarkson said.