- Alex Albon has been tipped for a return to Red Bull at the end of the season
- The Williams star has been hailed by Nico Rosberg as the ‘dream candidate’
- Sergio Perez has won just two races for Christian Horner’s team this season
Nico Rosberg named Alex Albon as the perfect replacement for Sergio Perez at Red Bull if the Mexican is ousted from his seat at the end of the season.
Perez is currently contracted to Red Bull until the end of next year but his position within the championship winning garage is under threat after a string of poor performances.
A difficult season has seen Perez struggle to build on positive early-season form where he momentarily emerged as a title contender after winning the Saudi Arabian and Azerbaijan Grand Prix’s.
However, Max Verstappen was gifted a free run at a third world championship title by Perez who finished on the podium at just two of the next five GP’s and so far failing to another one.
Former world champion Rosberg has already identified Red Bull’s next potential star driver after tipping Williams ace Albon for a return to the hotseat.
Alex Albon has been tipped for a potential return to Red Bull at the end of the season
Sergio Perez is under pressure after a difficult season as Red Bull’s second driver
Rosberg believes the 27-year-old is a perfect candidate for Christian Horner‘s team despite Red Bull publicly backing Perez to continue driving for the team.
‘Albon would also be a dream candidate actually for the Red Bull mother team for next year to replace Sergio Perez,’ Roseberg told Sky Sports F1.
‘But unfortunately, as Helmut Marko was saying, Albon is locked in with a long-term contract there at Williams.’
Albon was previously released by the top performing garage after struggling during an 18-month spell with Perez being brought in to replace him two-years ago.
Meanwhile, Perez has five remaining races to convince Red Bull he can partner Verstappen again next year and is determined to secure another career race win before the season ends.
Albon has starred for Williams this season scoring every single one of their championship points
Former world champion Nico Rosberg labelled Albon as the ‘dream candidate’ for Red Bull
Williams would likely stand in the way of Red Bull should they come calling with an offer to try and tempt Albon into a mega-money return to his former team on the grid.
Albon’s current deal is expected to run until the end of next season and is vitally important to Williams after being responsible for scoring all of their points so far this year.
However, Rosberg believes Albon’s Williams team-mate, Logan Sargeant, could also be replaced after failing to score a single point in 17 races.
‘Logan Sargeant is another one of those drivers who’s on shaky ground and really needs to prove himself,’ said Rosberg.
