Sergio Perez has been Max Verstappen’s teammate since 2021, and even after three seasons together, the Mexican driver has been unable to match him. In a recent interview, as reported by El Tiempo, Perez admits that having Verstappen as a teammate is the most difficult thing for an F1 driver.
Since 2021, Perez has taken occasional victories and on rare occasions, has outperformed Verstappen. However, for the majority of this duration, he has been in Verstappen’s shadow. The Dutchman went on to win the 2021 and 2022 world championships, with Perez nowhere close to challenging him for the title.
At the beginning of this season, Perez seemed to be on par with Verstappen, but after the 25-year-old’s dominance in recent races, the gap between them has become large once again. Perez feels that he finds it difficult to match Verstappen, who despite his young age, is already one of F1’s greatest ever.
Max Verstappen has close to zero flaws, says Perez
According to Perez, he was on par with Verstappen when the 2023 season started. Unfortunately, Verstappen, who has zero flaws, ultimately managed to pull away with a string of dominant performances, whereas Perez himself couldn’t do the same.
“I’ve been on a par with Max since the beginning of the season,” said Perez in an interview with RacingNews365. “One way or another. Sometimes better or worse, but I think it’s as it should be.”
Max Verstappen has lapped teammate Sergio Perez TWICE today 😳 pic.twitter.com/32bEcSdgO8
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) May 28, 2023
Talking about being Verstappen’s teammate, Perez feels that it is “the most difficult thing” in F1. Admittedly, Verstappen has been nearly unstoppable in recent races. He is first in the drivers’ championship standings, 53 points ahead of Perez who is in second.
Sergio Perez has improved on his Red Bull performances
So far, Perez has two race wins and a total of four podium results in the 2023 season. This he feels, has been a much better start to a campaign for him, compared to his previous two seasons at Red Bull.
By understanding the weaknesses of the car and adapting to it, he has made his life a lot easier in Milton-Keynes. “The positive thing is that we have been able to change things and I want to get more victories,” he added. “I have adapted much better to this year’s car. I understand the weaknesses I had last year.”
Sergio Perez will be looking to close the gap to Max Verstappen in the upcoming round of the 2023 championship. This next race takes place at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal- the 2023 Canadian GP.
