‘I wouldn’t want to be in those shoes’: Sergio Perez says partnering Verstappen would be a tall order for a young driver

Red Bull driver Sergio Perez of Mexico arrives for the practice ahead of the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi on Friday, Dec. 6. (AP)
Red Bull driver Sergio Perez of Mexico arrives for the practice ahead of the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi on Friday, Dec. 6. (AP)
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Updated 06 December 2024
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‘I wouldn’t want to be in those shoes’: Sergio Perez says partnering Verstappen would be a tall order for a young driver

‘I wouldn’t want to be in those shoes’: Sergio Perez says partnering Verstappen would be a tall order for a young driver
  • With speculation rife around the Mexican’s future at Red Bull, he sends a reminder of just how tough his job really is

ABU DHABI: With his future at Red Bull Racing in doubt, Sergio Perez has provided an honest assessment of the challenge of being the teammate of four-time world champion Max Verstappen.

Despite signing a new contract that should keep him in the Red Bull seat until the end of 2026, rumors have swirled around the potential exit of the Mexican driver, given the dip in his performance over the past six months.

“It’s an incredible challenge. I knew what I signed up for when I came here,” Perez said in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

“It’s an incredible challenge, and a challenge that people should not underestimate the level of experience, the level of capacity, of mental strength, that you need to cope with this extreme challenge.”

The 34-year-old joined the Milton Keynes-based outfit in 2021 and played a crucial role in helping Verstappen edge Lewis Hamilton in the season-closer in Abu Dhabi that year.

With Verstappen and Perez in tandem, Red Bull secured the constructors’ championship in 2022 and 2023, including a one-two in the drivers’ championship last season.

This year has told a different story, though, for Perez, who started 2024 by making the podium in four of the first five races and signing a contract extension in June, before struggling on the track for the rest of the season.

In his last 16 races, the Guadalajara native has had four DNFs, and has scored a mere 45 points.

With disappointing results since Monaco at the end of May, speculation has risen over possible replacements for Perez, whose new contract may include performance-related clauses.

Young candidates

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said after the Qatar Grand Prix last weekend that Perez is “old enough and wise enough to come to his own conclusions but there is still a race to go, so let’s get to the end of Abu Dhabi and see where we are at.”

Several names have been thrown around as possible replacements for Perez, including Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson, the drivers from Red Bull’s sister outfit RB — a team specifically designed to be a feeder for Red Bull.

Tsunoda, 24, has been at RB for four seasons and his current P12 in the drivers’ championship would be his highest finish since making his F1 debut in 2021. He is also scheduled to drive the Red Bull car in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi next week.

Lawson, 22, joined Red Bull’s Junior Team in 2019. The Kiwi driver subbed in for an injured Daniel Ricciardo at RB last year and was given the full seat late this season. Abu Dhabi will be just the 11th Grand Prix Lawson has raced so far in his young career.

Others have mentioned the 21-year-old Franco Colapinto, who has shown great promise since he got a Williams seat in Monza this season but is so far without a drive for 2025.

Perez believes it would be a tall order for a young driver to come in and replace him as Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate.

“I think being teammates with Max at Red Bull, for a young driver, I wouldn’t want to be in those shoes, if I’m honest,” said Perez.

“Like I said, people cannot underestimate the level of challenge that there is in this seat.”




Perez believes it would be a tall order for a young driver to come in and replace him as Max Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate. (AFP)

A role with a heavy toll

Williams driver Alex Albon, who spent a season and a half as Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull, shared some insight into his own experience alongside the Dutch driver.

“It’s a tricky one. I think first of all you have to just appreciate the talent that Max has, that’s number one,” said Albon.

“Number two is, it’s not always that comfortable to drive that car. I don’t know where it is now for Checo (Perez), I haven’t been following along too much. But he likes a car quite different; it’s not easy for a driver to adapt to it.

“And then it’s just that toll of it. You’re in the spotlight constantly and it’s a tough place to be and I think for anyone, it’s not going to be an easy place to be, to be his teammate.”

Perez has indeed struggled with the RB20, which has not suited his driving style.

“I think when you look back at it, I was in the fight in 2022, I was in the fight in 2023, I had some tough moments in ’23 obviously. But then ’24 started really well. I think we just took a wrong direction and with driving styles, it impacts more one driver than the other,” said Perez.

“The way it impacted me, it was a lot harder than, for example, Max, because of his driving style. He can cope with a very neutral balance and I couldn’t. So, that was the main deficit, really.”

Taking responsibility

Perez’s performances mean that Red Bull have won the drivers’ championship via Verstappen but are out of the running in the constructors’ championship, which will be decided in Abu Dhabi this weekend between McLaren and Ferrari.

It is the first time since 1983 that a team that produced the winning driver in the championship only managed to finish third in the constructors’ standings.

Perez has acknowledged the role he played in such an anomaly but deflected the full blame.

“Of course, I take responsibility but also I don’t feel it’s fully all down to one person. I’m obviously part of a big organization, a big team, and it’s very unfortunate that we did not fight any harder for the constructors’,” said the Mexican driver.




Perez in action during FP1 ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. (AP)

Amid all the speculation about his future, Perez is choosing to believe he will be continuing with the team.

“For sure I’ve seen the rumors, but nothing different to the last couple of months. So, in that regard, nothing further to add,” he said.

“I already said it in the last six months that I’m here. I renewed with the team earlier in the year and I’m here to be the driver for the team next year and that’s where my full focus is.

“I think it’s important to stay together because as I said, the season hasn’t been the greatest, but at the end of the day, there’s a reason why they renewed me. They know I can still do it and that’s an important factor.”

‘We have a tremendous talent pool’

Horner spoke to reporters in Abu Dhabi on Friday and has not given a definitive answer regarding Perez’s fate.

The Red Bull boss paid tribute to Perez and the role he played in the team’s success over the past four years but has made no promises about his future.

“This season hasn’t gone to anyone’s plan, particularly with Checo’s performance and since Monaco, it’s been very, very tough for him. And, so, inevitably, once we get this race out of the way, we’ll sit down and discuss the future,” he said.

Asked if he regrets opting to sign an early contract extension with Perez in June, Horner said: “Obviously, at the time, Sergio was performing really well. I think he had four podiums in the first five races. In order to settle his mind and extend that run of form for the rest of the season, we elected to go early, which obviously didn’t work.

“We’re fortunate that we’ve got a tremendous pool of talent. It was good to see Isack Hadjar getting a run out as well in free practice today. We’ve got two talented drivers in VCARB. But until the situation is clear with Sergio and what he wants to do, everything else is purely speculation.”

Joining the elite

With decisions yet to be made, one thing is clear: Whoever ends up being Verstappen’s teammate in 2025 will face a daunting task.

“I think probably being Max’s teammate is the toughest drive in Formula 1 because he’s set such a high standard, such a high bar, and his performances are just relentless,” said Horner.

“So, anybody sat in the car alongside him is going to have tremendous strength of character and have the ability to work within a team, and be able to focus on themselves; to a degree almost ignoring what’s going on in the other car.

“Because I think that’s where, mentally, it becomes incredibly tough. As we’ve seen with many of the greats, I’m sure when you work with Michael Schumacher or Ayrton Senna previously, teammates had a similarly hard job. Max now joins that elite group of people. It’s as simple as that.”


Al-Kholood 1-0 Al-Ahli: Late goal seals victory in Roshn Saudi League

Al-Kholood 1-0 Al-Ahli: Late goal seals victory in Roshn Saudi League
Updated 6 sec ago
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Al-Kholood 1-0 Al-Ahli: Late goal seals victory in Roshn Saudi League

Al-Kholood 1-0 Al-Ahli: Late goal seals victory in Roshn Saudi League

DUBAI: Al-Kholood secured a crucial 1-0 victory over Al-Ahli in the 15th round of the Roshn Saudi League at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Buraidah.

The match’s only goal came from Alex Collado in the 90+2nd minute, earning Al-Kholood three vital points.

With the win, Al-Kholood increased its tally to 16 points, moving to 12th place in the standings. Meanwhile, Al-Ahli remains in fifth place on 26 points.


Al-Ettifaq beats Damac 3-0 in Saudi Pro League

Al-Ettifaq beats Damac 3-0 in Saudi Pro League
Updated 31 min 12 sec ago
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Al-Ettifaq beats Damac 3-0 in Saudi Pro League

Al-Ettifaq beats Damac 3-0 in Saudi Pro League

DUBAI: Al-Ettifaq defeated hosts Damac 3-0 in Khamis Mushait on Wednesday in their Saudi Pro League match.

Steven Gerrard’s team took an important victory, with goals from Mousa Dembele in the 22nd and 45th minutes, and Vitinho adding a third in the 83rd minute.

The win takes Al-Ettifaq’s points total to 18, moving them up to 11th in the league table. Damac are currently in 10th with the same number of points but a better goal difference.


UAE playing a pivotal role in cricket’s modern ecosystem

UAE playing a pivotal role in cricket’s modern ecosystem
Updated 36 min 38 sec ago
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UAE playing a pivotal role in cricket’s modern ecosystem

UAE playing a pivotal role in cricket’s modern ecosystem
  • Graeme Smith view that ILT20 ‘was not good for the game’ took no account of the league’s involvement in local UAE cricket

David White, CEO of DP World ILT20, has responded to adverse comments made by Graeme Smith, commissioner of South Africa’s Betway SA 20 league, about the ILT20.

Smith expressed a view that ILT20 “was not good for the game, with no investment back into local cricket.” As suggested in this column last week, Smith’s opinion took neither proper account of ILT20’s involvement in local UAE cricket nor the vastly different starting points from which the two leagues set off on their franchise journeys.

White took a similar line in his response, suggesting that Smith should have taken a closer look at the Emirates Cricket Board’s overall strategy. The UAE has long provided a safe bridge over troubled waters. Initially in Sharjah, its ability to be a go-to haven has grown with the Dubai International Stadium and the Sheikh Zayed and Tolerance Stadiums In Abu Dhabi. Most recently, in October 2024, the prospect of canceling the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup because of civil unrest in Bangladesh was averted by the ability to move the tournament to the UAE. A solution to the standoff between India and Pakistan over the 2025 Champions Trophy has also been supplied by the compromise to play India’s matches in Dubai.

Further back, the IPL was played in the UAE in 2021 because of COVID-19 restrictions in India, while the 2014 event was switched because it clashed with Indian general elections. The men’s T20 World Cup was also shifted to the UAE and Oman in 2021. On top of that, the ICC academy offers top-notch training facilities and two grounds on which to play. It is no surprise that the UAE attracts teams and players at professional level for training camps and competitions. It is also accessible from Europe and South Asia. A measure of its success is that the idea of English county teams going to the UAE for pre-season training is no longer considered to be risible.

While these aspects do not directly address Smith’s criticism, they do illustrate the UAE’s pivotal position in cricket’s ecosystem. Aware of this, the Emirates Cricket Board is seeking to use that position to develop its own domestic strength. Who can blame them? Funds have been invested in the community game and in school’s festivals. A secondary school competition has been reintroduced. Three hundred players registered for a development tournament, after which there was a draft with 25 players selected to participate in ILT20. There, they will learn from leading players and coaches.

South Africa, on the other hand, has been playing organized cricket since the mid-19th century, with the first club established at Port Elizabeth in 1843. In 1889 an England team visited to play two matches against a South African X1, in what would later be classed as Tests. The strength of South Africa’s cricket was encapsulated in 2012, when its men’s team became the first one to top the ICC rankings in all three formats of the game. The country’s position and reputation in world cricket is very different to that of the UAE. However, its financial position has been fragile and a franchise league was created to address that issue. SA20 can draw on a sizeable pool of domestic talent and Cricket South Africa has ensured that the best of that talent is available. The tournament requires franchises to sign 19 players, with a minimum of ten South Africans, a maximum of seven international players, a new rookie South African and a wildcard.

One of Smith’s gripes about ILT20 is the number of international players allowed to play in the tournament. Each playing 11 must include at least two UAE players and four in the squad overall. Smith’s view seems to be that this is not enough. One day the balance may well change when enough UAE players emerge with the ability to perform to the levels set by ILT20. Recalibrating the balance too early runs the risk of reducing the tournament’s quality. It would be wrong to suggest that ILT20’s strategy is not developmental. It takes time and patience.

Apart from financial considerations, SA20’s main goal is to nurture the improvement and growth of South African domestic players and the overall domestic system. Smith has gone so far as to argue that SA20 has already helped in the men’s Test team reaching the final of the World Test Championship. This seems to be an opportunistic claim. One thing that ILT20 achieves, but SA20 does not, is to facilitate participation by players from other ICC Associate members. This year, Nepal, Malaysia, the US, Scotland, Netherlands, Namibia and Italy are represented.

Both tournaments have got off to exciting starts. In SA20, last year’s winners, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, lost their first three matches, anchored at the foot of the table. The opening match of ILT20, a re-run of last year’s final, was won by one run by last year’s beaten finalists Dubai Capitals against the Mumbai Indians. Two days later, the Indians had their revenge. The 2023 winners, Gulf Giants, were beaten by six wickets by the team which they defeated, the Desert Vipers, in the final. The Giants’ innings reads curiously. In a total of 119 for nine, James Vince scored an unbeaten 76.

Vince has played 55 times for England, is a long-standing captain of Hampshire, which he led three times to success in T20 competitions, plus high positions in the county championship. On Jan. 13, he announced that he was quitting red-ball cricket to focus on white-ball cricket in 2025. He will play in the Pakistan Super League, or PSL, which will be staged in April this year so as not to clash with the Champions Trophy.

Vince had a decision to make between the PSL or red-ball cricket with Hampshire. The  England and Wales Cricket Board has stipulated that only players with white-ball-only contracts will be allowed to play in overseas franchise tournaments during English season months. Vince’s case is an example of the ways in which franchise tournaments are shaping both the future of cricket and its players’ careers.   

Each franchise has different objectives and strategies. Collectively, they are shifting cricket’s landscape. They do not appear to talk to each other and there is no regulation. Is it too much to expect that, one day, they may respect and understand their differences for the overall benefit of the game?   


Al-Shabab beats Al-Riyadh 2-1 in Roshn Saudi League

Al-Shabab beats Al-Riyadh 2-1 in Roshn Saudi League
Updated 16 January 2025
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Al-Shabab beats Al-Riyadh 2-1 in Roshn Saudi League

Al-Shabab beats Al-Riyadh 2-1 in Roshn Saudi League

DUBAI: Al-Shabab defeated Al-Riyadh 2-1 this evening at Al-Shabab Club Stadium in Riyadh, kicking off the 15th round of the Roshn Saudi League.

Yahya Al-Shehri opened the scoring for Al-Riyadh in the 56th minute but Daniel Podence equalized for Al-Shabab in the 72nd minute. Abdul Razzaq Hamdallah secured the dramatic victory for Al-Shabab with a goal in the 90+7th minute.

With the result, Al-Shabab increased its tally to 26 points, moving to sixth place in the Roshn Saudi League standings. Al-Riyadh remains in seventh place on 22 points.


Omar Al-Somah hopes to revisit old glories with Saudi Pro League return

Omar Al-Somah hopes to revisit old glories with Saudi Pro League return
Updated 16 January 2025
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Omar Al-Somah hopes to revisit old glories with Saudi Pro League return

Omar Al-Somah hopes to revisit old glories with Saudi Pro League return
  • The Syrian forward, who had a hugely successful spell with Al-Ahli from 2014 to 2022, has joined Al-Orobah at the age of 35

DUBAI: It was something like old times this week when renowned Syrian footballer Omar Al-Somar accepted an offer from Al-Orobah to play in the Saudi Pro League.

The player’s highlights at Al-Ahli, from May 2014 to August 2022, when he left for Qatar’s Al-Arabi initially on loan, included a record-breaking 144 goals in 180 Roshn Saudi League runouts and four major trophies.

In Jeddah, he was the fearsome center forward, standing 6 feet 4 inches and boasting the footwork of a ballerina. He had the grace to chest down and bicycle kick in March 2019’s unforgettable derby strike against Al-Ittihad, and the raw power to smash home countless free-kicks.

This richly talented figure has towered over the competition for almost a decade — literally and figuratively. An eye for the extravagant allied with ruthless finishing made him a poster boy for professional football in the Kingdom.

This, however, was before December 2022’s seismic announcement of Portugal megastar Cristiano Ronaldo’s recruitment and the rapid expansion of horizons that followed. It was also after an uncharacteristically meek contribution to the previous season’s unprecedented relegation for his team.

As the professional era’s unparalleled top scorer, Al-Somah’s exalted position in Saudi football is secure. The focus now is on what his return as a 35-year old on a free transfer can deliver for a club precariously positioned around the relegation zone, and which has netted only nine times in 14 outings during their top-flight return to date.

Ahead of Friday’s potential debut at Al-Khaleej, the celebrated attacker had an unequivocal retort to those who say you should never return to the scene of past glories.

“I’m delighted to be back in Saudi Arabia and back in the RSL,” said Al-Somah, according to Saudi Pro League’s official website. “It’s an honor to put on the shirt of Al-Orobah Football Club. I promise to do my best to live up to the expectations of everyone and add real value to the team.”

He added: “I’m really grateful for the fans who welcomed me in Al-Jouf and I’m honored to be among them. I look forward to my first match in Al-Jouf in two weeks’ time [the Jan. 22 encounter against Al-Qadsiah]. We need the fans to stand by us and push us forward in the next few months.”

Al-Somah held a tight grip on the RSL Golden Boot in three-consecutive seasons from 2014-17, plus played an oversized role in Al-Ahli that in the 2015-16 season ended a 32-year wait for another top-flight crown.

He bestrode a generation defined by spiky Saudi Arabia hitman Nasser Al-Shamrani, Al-Hilal’s beloved Bafetimbi Gomis and a prolific Abderrazak Hamdallah.

A much-changed league awaits him. 

Previously, it was unheard of for promoted sides to stack prominent players. But his teammates now include the likes of ex-France defender Kurt Zouma, Iceland’s experienced Premier League campaigner Johann Berg Gudmundsson, former Barcelona youngster Cristian Tello and Ivory Coast’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations winner Jean Michael Seri.

This is before you look at the world-class signings made by the likes of champions Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad, Al-Qadsiah, Al-Ettifaq and the rest.

Elite center-backs such as Aymeric Laporte, Merih Demiral, Kalidou Koulibaly and Nacho must be conquered by Al-Somah if Al-Orobah are to get the goals they need. It is a sporting challenge many levels above what came before.

A further note of caution is that he barely cracked double figures during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 RSL campaigns as Al-Ahli’s travails and personal injury problems gripped.

Success did, however, follow in Qatar.

A brace against all-conquering Al-Sadd in the 2022-23 Emir Cup final ended Al-Arabi’s 30-year trophy drought. Only Kenya and Al-Duhail’s Michael Olunga (22 goals) bettered Al-Somah’s Qatar Stars League tally (19 goals).

Last season’s superb top-flight record came in at 17 strikes from 22 matches.

But Al-Somah has not been seen in action since August. Just 89 minutes and one goal were recorded in three appearances. This absence was extended to the international arena, with his last caps coming in June.

Understandable ring rust must be brushed off — and fast. It is testament to residual belief in his unique abilities, however, that Al-Orobah were forced to fight for this coveted signature.

Of the options he had available, Al-Somah said: “I had multiple offers, but this was the one I felt most comfortable with, and my heart went for Al-Orobah.”

Experience is the attribute which defines the club’s winter refit. Al-Somah joins a side now led by 63-year-old former Iraq, Jordan and Bahrain tactician Adnan Hamad. More tweaks may follow in the weeks ahead.

Any advantage will be sought in the battle to avoid demotion. Match week 15 began with 11th-placed Al-Ettifaq only three points above Al-Wehda in the final relegation spot.

Al-Somah’s Saudi record can never be questioned. Neither can the output during most of his Qatar spell at an Al-Arabi team that failed to gain silverware in the 21st century before he arrived.

The Syria icon departed the Roshn Saudi League after an unsuccessful scrap against relegation at Al-Ahli and rejoins via Al-Orobah with the same task at hand.

With a palpable determination to succeed, he is striking the right tone to see his standing enhanced rather than diminished during the remainder of this season.

It would be in character to witness a trademark torrent of goals, keep a grateful Al-Orobah up and cement an unmatched reputation that straddles different eras.