While Max Verstappen comfortably leads the grid, Sergio Perez’s 2023 title hopes were dashed after his crash in the 2023 Monaco GP qualifying. Due to his Q1 exit, the driver had to start from the back of the grid and scored nothing during the weekend.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen secured his 39th F1 victory and extended his lead in the championship by 39 points. In a season where Red Bull has dominated their competitors, it means the Dutchman is surely winning the title this season.
RedBull’s Helmut Marko claims the Mexican driver was never on the same level to challenge Verstappen. Yet, Perez remains hopeful for a swing in the championship and in beating his teammate.
Helmut Marko claims Sergio Perez was never a threat to Max Verstappen
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko unleashed scathing remarks on Sergio Perez’s inability to challenge Max Verstappen. Marko also ruled Perez from the title fight as he expects little to no threat from the Mexican.
Marko told OE24 Sport, “The fight for the World Championship is already over. In reality, Max has never seen Perez as a serious threat.” This comes after Perez bottled the Monaco GP race, effectively widening a 14-point deficit to the Dutchman.
However, Checo claims he has been better than his teammates on weekends. He told Pitdebrief, “I’ve been a match to Max since the beginning of the season, in one way or another. Sometimes better sometimes worse and it’s what I believe you have to be.”
While the driver has shown his brilliance at times, he is no match for the ruthless Verstappen. The 2x world champion has won 3 races and could easily widen the gap.
With the win in Monaco, Verstappen has already crossed Sebastian Vettel’s record of 38 wins with Red Bull. If he wins 2 more races, he can overtake Ayrton Senna’s tally of 41 race wins. ascertaining Marko’s prophecy.
Perez says being Max Verstappen’s teammate is the toughest task
Sergio Perez believes Max Verstappen’s tag as a “Teammate Killer” is true. The Mexican, who has been in F1 for over 12 seasons, calls the Dutchman one of the toughest he has partnered with. Yet, he remains optimistic about beating him in the title race.
Perez shared, “I think being teammates with Max is probably the toughest thing you can have because he’s the driver on the best form of all. But I do believe it’s possible to beat him.”
Several Red Bull drivers have been shown the door for their inability to keep up with the 2x champion. Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, and Daniel Ricciardo were forced to leave and have admitted Verstappen’s skillfulness was part of the reason.
Despite the upset in Monaco, Checo remains confident about his season and wants to bounce back in Spain. He claims the RB19 has the pace to help him battle his teammate.
He added, “The speed is there. If this crash happened and I was half a second and second off then I would be more concerned, but the positive thing is that we have the speed to turn things around.”
Perez said his focus is now on improving every weekend and grabbing as many wins as possible. The driver has no room for error, as this would result in Verstappen winning his hat trick title early.
