Sergio Perez’s ambitions compelled him to mount a championship challenge against Max Verstappen in 2022 and 2023, leading to several conflicts within the team. After it affected his performance too, Perez conceded and resorted to playing second fiddle. It has helped his Red Bull career, something even his father Antonio Perez Garibay agrees with.
Previously, when Perez was trying to tussle with Verstappen, he had a strained relationship with the Dutchman and Red Bull. The Milton-Keynes-based outfit always wanted him to be the best driver- other than Verstappen on the grid and in 2024, he is doing just that. To this Perez’s father said to Azteca TV,
“Checo’s relationship is much better with Max. They are two tigers in the same cage is what I have told them and if you ask me, who would you like to see Checo as a teammate? I would say the best in the world. So whatever it is today, Checo is the second best in the world in Formula One.”
Antonio Perez’s comments are in stark contrast to what he publicly said in 2023. The Mexican politician firmly believed that his son would deliver an F1 world championship title to their home country. He was confident in Perez’s abilities, despite Verstappen outperforming him on the track.
Sergio Perez himself took a lot of pressure, by issuing a challenge to Verstappen for the title. This is what led to his downfall according to many, including Red Bull chief .
How Sergio Perez put himself under immense pressure
At the 2022 Sao Paolo GP, Verstappen denied Perez a position that would have helped the latter finish P2 in the championship. This motivated him to get the better of the Dutch driver in 2023 and things got off to a feisty start, with Verstappen and Perez winning two races a piece in the opening four rounds.
Unfortunately, Perez entered a slump shortly thereafter that he couldn’t seemingly get out of. His performances, particularly in qualifying were so bad that rumors of Red Bull sacking him midway into the season grew stronger by the day.
The RB19, Red Bull’s car for 2023 was widely considered to be one of the sport’s most dominant challengers ever. Hence, Perez having less than half the points Verstappen amassed by the end of the season was not a good sign for the Guadalajara-born driver.
This year, Perez seems to have accepted that he is the second driver at Red Bull. His performances have been much more consistent, and he is doing everything the team is asking of him. Perez is currently P2 in the standings, 25 points behind Verstappen.
