F1 Round Up: Perez must step up or lose Red Bull seat, Hamilton on rivalries, Ferrari vows improvements
Sky Sports' Nathalie Pinkham says Sergio Perez risks losing his Red Bull seat if he fails to outperform Lewis Hamilton for second in the championship. Hamilton calls for tighter F1 competition, while Ferrari's Vasseur sees room for team-wide improvement.
Perez must step up or risk losing Red Bull seat
In a recent Sky Sports podcast, reporter Nathalie Pinkham controversially predicted that Lewis Hamilton will surpass Sergio Perez for second in the Driver's Championship.
She believes the Mercedes driver will find form, while Perez will struggle in the dominant Red Bull. Pinkham asserts, "I think Lewis Hamilton is going to claim runner-up spot."
If Hamilton does claim runner-up, Pinkham says Red Bull should drop Perez, despite his talent, as the car's dominance warrants better results.
She states, "But I will caveat that with saying that if Perez doesn’t finish runner up, he should lose his seat – because this car is an unbelievable piece of machinery."
Hamilton values F1 rivalries and closer competition
Despite Red Bull's supremacy in 2023, Hamilton insists the sport must push for closer competition up front.
When critics noted his past complaints despite Mercedes' previous dominance, Hamilton clarified he has always valued rivalries, saying, "We all want our opponents to be as good as possible and compete at the front."
While admitting Red Bull's dominance will be difficult to overcome, Hamilton maintains F1 must improve rules to increase on-track battles, recalling his childhood motivations for racing.
Vasseur says team must improve "every pillar of performance"
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur acknowledges his team must advance "on every single topic and pillar of performance" after a disappointing start to 2023.
With massive deficits to Red Bull, Vasseur says podiums, not championships, are the current target.
He reveals Ferrari is actively recruiting and restructuring to address Strategy, pit stops, and technical gaps.
Vasseur stresses they will continue pushing to find "the last couple of tenths" through car development and improved trackside operations.
"It's clear that on every single topic and every single pillar of the performance, we have to make a step forward," he asserted.
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