Top 3 F1 drivers impacted by Sergio Perez-Red Bull deal

Sergio Perez signed a contract extension with Red Bull just before the 2022 F1 Monaco GP, which sees him in the team for another 2 years until 2024. This new deal was nothing more than just a formality with the way Perez has performed this season, showcasing his compliance as the second driver on the team.

The key aspect of this extension, however, that is going to put off a few drivers, is the "2 years" part. Placing a couple of years as a buffer for the Mexican does seem to be a smart tactic by Red Bull as it ensures a stress-free environment for the Mexican to perform. This might not be the best news, however, for some of the other drivers on the grid.

In this piece, we will take a look at three drivers who would not have been too happy with Sergio Perez signing a two-year extension with Red Bull.

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3 F1 drivers impacted by Sergio Perez's extended stay at Red Bull

#3 Fernando Alonso

While it was only an outside shot, there were rumors of Fernando Alonso's manager trying to strike a deal with Red Bull as Sergio Perez's replacement. It is not out of scope to think that Alonso would jump ship in an instant if offered a seat in Red Bull, a car capable of fighting for the title.

The Spaniard is a special talent, he is very competitive in a race car even at 40 years old, and more importantly, he brings a plethora of fans to Red Bull if he joins the team. Even though Horner outright declined the prospect of Alonso becoming a Red Bull driver, the Spaniard surely would have hoped beyond hope that maybe there was a possibility of Red Bull thinking about the prospect of having two world champions in the same team.

Once Sergio Perez's two-year extension was announced, it was hard not to imagine a grimace appearing on the Spaniard's face when he heard that.

#2 Alex Albon

Alex Albon has been a bit of a revelation this season. The Thai-British driver has been driving the wheels off the Williams and has already scored two points-scoring results in the least competitive car on the grid. Moreover, the kind of domination he's had over Nicholas Latifi almost replicates what George Russell was doing within that team.

Albon is currently signed to a two-year contract with Williams. The 26-year-old already knows where his home is going to be for the next two years. Albon was never a contender for Sergio Perez's seat at Red Bull for next season.

What about for the 2024 season? His contract at Williams would have been due for renewal. Additionally, if he were to maintain his current level of performance against Latifi, he would have made himself a viable candidate for a return to the top team.

That's where the two-year extension is going to pinch Albon! It leaves him in limbo at the end of the 2023 season because there would be no realistic path back to Red Bull. In a way, this closes the door for Albon for a future return to Red Bull and is a sign that he might need to look at other options on the grid if he is to progress his career.

#1 Pierre Gasly

The driver who might have faced the biggest letdown out of anyone is Pierre Gasly. The Frenchman was demoted from Red Bull to Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) in 2019. Ever since, he has scored a race win and a podium for the Red Bull sister team. While Sergio Perez's improvement in form this season would surely have given Gasly the inkling that an extension was on the way, the news of a two-year deal means that even after his 2023 contract ends with AlphaTauri, he's not looking at a possible jump to Red Bull.

This means that it's about time for Gasly to chart his own path in F1, just like Carlos Sainz did. The Spaniard was able to extricate himself from the Red Bull umbrella by moving to Renault in 2018 and has since progressed in his career to become a Ferrari driver today. With all the doors closed to the top team, Gasly might be looking at options like McLaren and Aston Martin as his next destination on the grid.