After F1 Lost 650,000 Fans, Renowned F1 Champion Blames Sergio Perez For It

With Red Bull and Max Verstappen dominating F1 currently, reports say that F1 lost around 650,000 fans in the United States and around the world. However, former F1 champion Nico Rosberg, as per F1 Maximal, believes it is Sergio Perez who is to be blamed for making the season boring and therefore making fans lose interest.

Red Bull and Verstappen have been dominant in 2022 and 2023. After thrashing the opposition last year by claiming 17 wins out of 22 races, this season saw the Austrian team claim 15 back-to-back wins which started from the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and lasted till the 2023 Italian Grand Prix.

Destination Austin, TX #USGP pic.twitter.com/HqikgWnXeG

— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) October 16, 2023

As for Verstappen, he took 15 wins in 2022 and is just one win away from matching it in 2023. He also took ten back-to-back race wins and therefore broke the long-standing record of Sebastian Vettel from 2013. Due to this, fans got bored of seeing the same man and team get on the top step of the podium and eventually lost interest. However, Rosberg believes Perez deserves the blame for this.

Why did Nico Rosberg blame Sergio Perez for it?

Verstappen and Perez both drive the mighty RB-19. While the Dutchman has ripped the opposition apart, the Mexican driver failed to follow suit. The former Force India driver took two wins compared to Verstappen’s 14 so far.

This led to fans witnessing one-sided supremacy from the 26-year-old. Perez offered very little resistance to Verstappen, which made the races very boring. Hence, Rosberg is of the opinion that it is Perez’s fault, that so many people have stopped watching F1.

A weekend where nothing worked out for us, first of all I want to thank my entire @redbullracing team very much for getting my car ready on time, we have the best mechanics in the world.

Let’s think about the closing, there are still 5 very important races left and we are going… pic.twitter.com/UOT0PCkqlQ

— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) October 8, 2023

Furthermore, the fans too, blame the Guadalajara-born driver for this. Talking about it, Rosberg said to Sky Sports, as per F1 Maximal, “The Formula 1 fans looked to him for a bit of excitement. He disappointed the fans in a way. Because he made it too easy for Verstappen.”

Can Red Bull sack Perez?

As things stand, Red Bull has recently given an ultimatum to Sergio Perez. The team said that if the driver fails to keep his P2 position by the end of the season, they will not keep him alongside Max Verstappen in 2024.

Despite winning multiple constructors’ and driver’s titles, Red Bull never had a 1-2 finish in the championship in their history. After losing out on this to Charles Leclerc narrowly in 2022, the Milton-Keynes based team don’t want to slip up again.

If Perez fails to keep his place, just in case, there are multiple options on the line for Red Bull. Daniel Ricciardo is the firm favorite driver to take the position. However, AlphaTauri stars Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson’s name also came forward at times.