Max Verstappen recorded a comprehensive win in Bahrain on Sunday after starting from the pole position. He hardly saw any challenge and built on his lead since the first lap.
His teammate Sergio Perez secured the runner-up spot. However, the time difference between the two has concerned a large section of F1 media about Verstappen’s hegemony, as the Mexican race driver finished almost 12 seconds behind the current world champion.
However, former Mercedes driver Sam Bird doesn’t think it’s bad. In fact, he thinks Perez had a very strong performance, and it’s a bit unfair to judge him over his difference against his teammate.
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Sergio Perez’s gap with Max Verstappen is exaggerated
Bird responded to the question asked what’s his opinion on the deficit between the two drivers. He retorted by saying that Perez had this gap because of the initial hiccup that happened with him otherwise, he could have been much closer.
“Checo was actually behind fight Charles Leclerc. So I don’t think that gap was that big,” said Bird to BBC’s Podcast Chequered flag. “I actually think he had a pretty strong weekend. He was pretty much clear of Max Verstappen in most of practice sessions.”
Bird emphasizes that Verstappen’s race pace is alarmingly fast. Therefore Perez can be happy with his performance and could have been seven seconds ahead, having not been fighting with Leclerc.
He further adds that the season is long, and Perez, like in 2022, would have his own moments. Meanwhile, everyone agrees that Verstappen is currently the favorite to win the championship.
The Aston Martin threat
During the winter testing, Aston Martin came out with some excellent projections. Many started to expect their presence in the top three of the standings. And in the season’s first race, they validated all the predictions with Fernando Alonso taking away the pole.
Ferrari and Mercedes now consider the Silverstone-based team a definite rival this season. On the other hand, they could also give Red Bull a run for its money this year.
While Verstappen doesn’t think Aston Martin would be able to challenge them for the championship. He definitely agrees that they can pick up a few wins across the season.
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