Red Bull almost relies on Perez due to Alonso's contract extension

Red Bull Racing is still searching for the ideal second man alongside Max Verstappen. While the team is still considering whether Sergio Perez is capable of matching the Dutchman's level, Fernando Alonso may be one of Red Bull's leading candidates for the seat that will disappear on Thursday morning.

Alonso not going to Red Bull

Earlier at GPblog, we asked the editors of both the international and Dutch editions a question. What if Perez is not deemed good enough by Red Bull after the summer break? Who should the team then hire as a replacement? Among the drivers mentioned, the name Fernando Alonso was regularly mentioned.

And that's not surprising. Alonso may be 40 years old, but he has shown on his return to F1 that he is still up to the task. Alonso is known for his ability to get the most out of a difficult-to-drive car and is at least as aggressive on track as Verstappen can be at Red Bull Racing. You'd say he's the ideal teammate.

Bottas or Gasly

However, now that Alonso has signed on with Alpine, that choice falls away for 2022. Among the other options were the names of Valtteri Bottas and Pierre Gasly. Bottas, as a driver for Mercedes, is perhaps the ideal man to bring in. Alongside Lewis Hamilton, he always stays close on Saturday and regularly scores points on Sunday. In addition, he can play the team game well.

The downside to Bottas is that Toto Wolff still seems to have a pretty good finger in the pie when it comes to his management. Bottas' management has been in talks with Alfa Romeo and a return to Williams cannot be ruled out. Wolff will be more interested in that than in a departure to the big competitor, with all the information transfer that could entail.

Rest for Perez

The other option Gasly also seems unreal. Helmut Marko and Christian Horner have been down on Gasly over the last six months, and still don't seem to have changed their minds. Gasly is seen as an ideal mainstay and measuring stick at the AlphaTauri training team, but is no longer considered an option for Red Bull Racing.

In that respect, Alonso's contract extension does provide Perez with peace of mind. Red Bull does not have many other options. It will now have to give Perez as much time and attention as possible so that he is able to close the gap on Verstappen.