26 September 2023 , 16:58
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Two of Sergio Perez's Formula 1 rivals have issued blunt critiques of his driving as his Red Bull woes continue.
He didn't finish the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday after a comedy of errors and misfortune. The final straw was a collision with Kevin Magnussen which caused more damage to his car and sparked a second-five second time penalty of the day.
The Mexican racer had stuck his nose up the inside of the Haas at the Suzuka hairpin and clipped the rear wheel, sending the Dane into a spin. Clearly unimpressed, Magnussen later labelled it "pretty desperate move".
He said: "But it is what is, I got spun around... It ended our race there and his as well, of course, but s**t happens." It came a week after Perez had earned the ire of Alex Albon in Singapore.
He attempted a move that was never going to come off and hit into the side of the Williams. Albon was running in the points at the time but ended up missing out on the top 10 as a result of the time he lost.
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He fumed over the radio at the time, describing Perez's driving as "f***ing dirty". And then after the race he was still blunt about the incident, even if he had calmed down a little.
The British-Thai racer said: "We had a really good race coming through the pack, and then coming up to Liam [Lawson]. We needed a couple more laps to get past him more likely but then I had contact with Checo [Perez] and that was me out of the race.
"[It was an] optimistic move. Through my rear-view mirrors, an optimistic move, and he also almost T-boned me pretty much into Turn 13. I got stuck and I couldn't get out. Had to reverse, face the wall, and that was it, really."
Speaking on Dutch TV after the Japan race, former F1 driver Jan Lammers did not hold back in his assessment of Perez and his Red Bull struggles. "When you see what Perez is doing with that beautiful car, it's almost criminal," he said.
"I think Perez is really ready for retirement. I mean, how much fun is this for him? What we're seeing is a total lack of drive, motivation, sharpness – everything, really. I think Red Bull could be preparing to put Lawson in that seat."