Former F1 driver Gerhard Berger who was also the former boss of Red Bull’s sister team Toro Rosso does not think that Sergio Perez can beat his 2-time world champion teammate Max Verstappen.
Berger, the father of Daniel Ricciardo’s girlfriend Heidi Berger, was speaking to Kronen Zeitung and argued that RB19 is far too powerful and Perez is not as good as Verstappen in the same machinery. He revealed that he usually refrains from making predictions but the trajectory of the 2023 season shows that Red Bull will continue to remain a tough competition for its rivals.
Red Bull ended Mercedes’ 8 years of dominance in the sport in the 2022 season and has continued with the same progress in the current season. So far the Milton Keynes-based team has proven itself to be the fastest car on the grid. However, despite that Berger thinks that Perez is not good enough to beat Verstappen.
“Nobody can beat Max Verstappen”
Furthermore, Berger said that it is not feasible for Mercedes, Aston Martin, or Ferrari to reduce the huge gap to Red Bull just within six months. The former F1 driver also noted that Red Bull has an insane development speed and while its rivals may bring upgrades that would reduce the gap, it is hard to completely defeat the Milton-Keynes-based team.
This scenario eliminates any other driver on the grid who can challenge Verstappen except his own teammate Perez. But Berger is not impressed by the Mexican driver. The Austrian said, “It would be desirable for fans if Perez and Verstappen could set up a duel like Senna against Prost.”
“But I doubt it, Max is too strong. If both start from the front row, it looks different. Nobody can beat Max,” he further added.
Gerhard Berger tipped Daniel Ricciardo to be a world champion
Back in 2014, when Daniel Ricciardo made his debut in the red bull F1 team from Toro Rosso, Berger was quite sure of the Australian’s skills. As Ricciardo cruised through his races with the Red Bull F1 team, Berger was impressed by noticing that the young driver had not made a single mistake.
“He is a new star. If he has a car that is right, he can be world champion,” Berger had predicted of Ricciardo at the time.
The years in Red Bull are still seen as the Honey Badger’s best years in motorsport. The Australian had an intense rivalry with Verstappen and is one of the few teammates of the Dutchman who have succeeded in beating him.
But after a few troubles with the team, Ricciardo shifted to Renault and then to McLaren before finally calling a break on his F1 career. Ricciardo has now returned to the Red Bull F1 team as their third driver for the 2023 season and is hopeful of a return to the racing grid next year. However, that remains to be seen since Verstappen leaving the team is out of the question and Perez has a contract with Red Bull valid till the end of the 2024 season.
