Red Bull’s decision to retain Sergio Perez has been denounced by Giedo van der Garde. The decision from the defending Constructors’ Champions has come despite the Mexican driver’s poor run of form in recent times, and van der Garde, the Dutch former motorsport driver, termed it “unbelievable”.

Perez has been delivering underwhelming performances in the last few races. The Mexican driver only scored 46 points in the last nine races, that too in a RB20. He’s the only driver not to win a race this season in the big four teams and the top eight in the Drivers’ Championship.

Furthermore, his lack of solid performance has hampered Red Bull’s dominant run in the Constructors’ Championship. Thanks to Max Verstappen’s solo effort, Red Bull is still leading the championship, but only just. They are currently 42 points ahead of McLaren despite having a mega advantage at the start of the season.

“I find it unbelievable,” van der Garde told the DRS podcast, reacting to Sergio Perez’s situation. “I think it is a choice that is not Red Bull-like. Red Bull never gives someone such a long chance if they do not perform.”“After the first four races, he performed dramatically. It does not get any better. If you are allowed to start second in Spa and you finish seventh… The speed in the race was simply bad,” van der Garde said about Perez’s Spa-Francorchamps performance.

Notably, Red Bull and its sister team RB (formerly Alpha Tauri and Toro Rosso) have always been ruthless in handling drivers. They have a history of sacking them when they do not perform.

Recently, the case of Daniil Kvyat, Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, and Nyck de Vries can be noted as the Red Bull fraternity’s ruthlessness. However, despite his underwhelming performances, Giedo van der Garde is baffled that Sergio Perez did not face such an outcome from Red Bull.

Giedo van der Garde considers Daniel Ricciardo as a possible candidate to replace Sergio Perez

While the talks about Daniel Ricciardo replacing Sergio Perez have been going on for quite a long time, Giedo van der Garde does not think otherwise. The Dutch former driver believes that Ricciardo’s arrival could change the atmosphere at Red Bull.

“I would always have put someone else in, you’re fighting for the Constructors’ Championship,” van der Garde said on the same podcast. “If someone like Perez is just whining and then someone [Ricciardo] comes along with a big smile and brings energy to the team, then he can lift such a team up.”

Notably, the Dutch Telegraph recently reported that Christian Horner and company decided to retain Sergio Perez following their pre-summer break meeting at their base in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom.