After having a dismal Singapore Grand Prix, Max Verstappen and Red Bull made a mega comeback in Japan. The Dutchman took his 13th GP win and in doing so, he helped his team claim the back-to-back Constructors’ championship. However, as per F1 expert Peter Windsor’s YouTube video, Perez had an ample role to play in helping Red Bull clinch their championship.
The Austrian team has been the superior team this season by far. With 15 wins out of 16 races, there was no stopping the Milton-Keynes-based team. While most of the credit belongs to Verstappen, Perez also deserves some of it, believes Windsor.
CHAMPIONS OF THE WORLD 👑 #GivesYouWings pic.twitter.com/V73cpzbxWw
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) September 24, 2023
Admittedly, the Dutch driver has been the better driver for the Austrian team throughout the season. He took 13 wins already with the latest win at Suzuka. However, he is not the only driver who can be given all the credit for the Constructors’ championship.
Peter Windsor credits Sergio Perez for the Red Bull championship
Verstappen has been the star of the 2023 season as he already took 400 of the 623 points claimed by Red Bull. His record also comprises nine pole positions as well as 15 total podiums in 16 races.
Nevertheless, Windsor also credited Perez despite his teammate’s staggering feat. The Mexican driver has 223 points, two pole positions, and eight podiums in his tally. Reflecting on the work done by the 33-year-old, he said as per his own YouTube channel, “Checo played his role of course. He won races and did a lot of testing and input.”
“He is also a very good team player. If you ignore his comments from the beginning of the season, his qualities have enabled Max to do what he can do himself, which is to win the championship for Red Bull in Japan already, the constructors’ championship,” further asserted by the Australian F1 expert.
Perez saw storm around his seat at Red Bull
Despite Windsor’s appraisal, Sergio Perez saw a huge storm around his seat at Red Bull. Even though the Mexican driver is doing well in the Austrian team now, he saw reports that said he almost lost his seat and got replaced.
This happened during the mid-season when he had back-to-back moderate races. From going out in Q1 on back-to-back occasions, to barely finishing in the top five despite having the mighty RB19 underneath him, it was not a suitable time for the former Racing Point driver.
The reports of getting himself was triggered after Daniel Ricciardo shared that he was hopeful of making a return to Red Bull. Nevertheless, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko showed faith in Sergio Perez despite all the rumors, and therefore, the Mexican star is still happy to be at Milton Keynes.