Sergio Perez may have an additional card in his favour as he is considered for a Red Bull seat in 2021, his financial backing.
The Mexican and 2020 super-sub Nico Hulkenberg are the two alternatives on the table, should the Milton Keynes-based squad decide to replace Alex Albon.
But while it is Hulkenberg who is thought to be the preferred choice of Max Verstappen, ex-Formula 1 driver Christijan Albers believes the suggestion money wouldn’t factor into Red Bull’s thinking is a fallacy.
“I think you are wrong there,” he said speaking on the De Telegraaf podcast. “You can’t say that Red Bull doesn’t need money.”
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The Dutchman argued his pointed to the looming additional costs related to the engines after Honda’s exit at the end of 2021.
“They had to pay Renault $25m (per season) and that was, of course, waived when Honda came in,” Albers claimed.
“Then they got extra sponsorship and the engines for free, that blow will have to be dealt with eventually. There’s just a big budget missing with Honda, so I think Perez’s chances are bigger.
“I’d rather take a large market in Mexico, where Dietrich Mateschitz can still do business to business with Carlos Slim.”
As for Perez himself, he has admitted the ongoing wait for a decision by Red Bull is forcing him to consider a year off next season if he is not chosen.
“At the moment we just have to wait and see,” he was quoted by RaceFans on Thursday in Istanbul.
“The season is coming soon to an end and as I’ve said before until the teams announce the driver everything is an option. Every team that hasn’t announced their line-up, it’s an option. So we’ll see.
“Everything is so late now it looks like I will know whether I continue in Formula 1 or not quite late in the year,” he added. “So I think a sabbatical, it’s an option. We’ll see what happens in the next couple of weeks.”