Sergio Perez has admitted that former Red Bull driver Pierre Gasly "deserves" another chance to race for a top Formula 1 team.
Mexican Perez, 31, was signed by the energy drink company’s premier team for 2021 in order to replace the underperforming Alex Albon.
Albon, in turn, had been the replacement for the similarly-struggling Gasly, who now races for Red Bull’s second team Alpha Tauri.
However, former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher says it can also be argued that Perez is the third consecutive teammate who has failed to adequately match up to Max Verstappen.
"Both Perez and Bottas must first be in a position to help their teammates, and at the moment they are not - even though they have the best cars," he told Sky Deutschland.
"Sergio was a long way off all weekend in Qatar," Schumacher insisted.
Frenchman Gasly, 25, was openly disappointed not to be considered for the Albon seat, and then once again when Red Bull re-signed Perez for 2022.
When asked about that, Perez told the French broadcaster Canal Plus: "I think, in the end, it’s the team that has the most information on that.
"More than the media and more than the drivers themselves.
"After a few races this year, let’s say five, my bosses came to me to say they were happy with me and they wanted us to continue," he added.
"As far as Pierre is concerned, he is performing at a high level and deserves to get another chance in a top team."