Afrigather 
Purple Bull shouldn’t be contemplating ousting Sergio Perez, in accordance with former Formulation 1 driver Felipe Massa.
Regardless of Mexican Perez’s signed-and-sealed 2024 contract, and the crew’s repeated denials that it’s contemplating axing the struggling Mexican, rumours of a possible change over the forthcoming winter interval persist.
When instructed by Bloomberg that Perez’s future stays unsure, crew boss Christian Horner insisted: “Solely you (journalists) maintain questioning it.
“I maintain repeating that Checo might be our driver subsequent 12 months. He’s had a troublesome six weeks, however he’s beginning to regain his kind,” he added.
“He drove a robust race in Sao Paulo and in addition in Austin, and he sits second within the championship, greater than 30 factors forward of Lewis Hamilton with two races to go.
“We’ll see what he can do within the subsequent two races, however he might be our driver alongside Max in 2024,” Horner added.
When requested in regards to the persistent rumours of a change of teammates for Max Verstappen, Brazilian Massa instructed the Dutch journal Formule 1 that it will not be a good suggestion.
“So long as Max is comfortable and the crew wins each the drivers’ championship and the constructors’ championship, I believe it will be sensible to go away issues as they’re now,” he stated.
“Max is visibly feeling good and wins nearly each race. For him, any change would imply a deterioration,” Massa continued.
And he doubts that another driver may fare significantly better than Perez anyway.
“What Max is displaying this season is of an unprecedented degree,” stated the 42-year-old. “Even should you put Lewis Hamilton or Fernando Alonso within the different automotive, I’m undecided a lot would change.
“Perhaps somewhat bit, however imagine me, they wouldn’t beat Max both.”
Davide Valsecchi, a former GP2 champion who now works for Italian tv, agrees that even Alonso would battle alongside Verstappen.
“It will be fantastic if Purple Bull signed him,” he instructed Autosprint. “However I’m afraid that we’d be disenchanted as a result of I don’t have the boldness that he would be capable to deal with a 26-year-old like Max when it comes to velocity.”
As for Massa, he says he no less than understands why the Perez hypothesis has been so lasting and chronic.
“Let’s be sincere – we’d all fairly see the championship determined within the final lap, like in 2021 in Abu Dhabi,” he stated.
“For those who motive like that, after all you want for the very best driver on the grid after Max to take Perez’s seat.”
