Max Verstappen has outclassed Sergio Perez comprehensively this season and continued to do so during qualifying in Qatar. Now, it seems as though Perez, his teammate, has conceded defeat, especially after yet another disastrous qualifying session in Lusail on Friday evening. As reported by Race Express, Perez admits the fact that Verstappen has been driving at a higher level, not just compared to him, but compared to the rest of the grid as a whole.
Perez’s 2023 season started on a very good note, and he was on level terms with Verstappen after the opening four races. However, the gap between them began to grow, up to a point where Verstappen’s points tally was enough to guide Red Bull to a 6th constructors’ title win, with six races to spare.
🎶 One run is all it takes 🎶 #QatarGP 🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/tI2BAkvghD
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) October 6, 2023
In Qatar, Perez spoke about his performances this season, while also praising his teammate for driving on another level.
Max Verstappen is better than the rest
In Lusail, Verstappen was dominant once again. He rose to the occasion by securing the pole position for Sunday’s main race. However, Verstappen can seal his third world title before that on Saturday. All the Dutch driver has to do, is score three points.
As quoted by Race Express, Perez says, “Max did a great job this year. Everyone has to give those credits after such a year. He drove at a higher level than the rest this season and I have a lot of respect for that.”
2 millimeters track limits… Tough day today, struggled to find the right balance in the car, but it’s not over. We’ll battle hard this weekend.
2 milímetros de límites en pista… Día complicado hoy, nos costó encontrar el equilibrio adecuado en el coche, pero esto no ha… pic.twitter.com/WGl5X0KxM8
— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) October 6, 2023
For the Sprint qualifying on Saturday, and the Sprint race, Verstappen remains the favorite. He is almost certainly going to win his third consecutive F1 championship this weekend unless something goes catastrophically wrong for him.
Perez, meanwhile, feels that his season unraveled after one particular race.
Sergio Perez recalls where it all went wrong for him
After the first four races of the 2023 season, several people were predicting a close title fight between Perez and his teammate. However, in the subsequent races, the Mexican driver failed to put up any challenge whatsoever. Talking about when things began to fall apart, Perez labeled one particular Grand Prix weekend.
“I think Barcelona was a turning point,” the Guadalajara-born driver revealed. “I always watched it weekend by weekend. Sometimes it is a bit easier to fall your way in a weekend and sometimes not at all. From Barcelona I had more trouble and I was a bit short by car.”
For Perez, holding on to P2 in the drivers’ championship is the most important thing now. The Red Bull bosses expect him to do, and failing, can lead to severe consequences for him.
