Even though Red Bull has had a dominating start to the 2023 season, it is pertinent to note that just one driver has shown this dominance: reigning champion Max Verstappen. As for Sergio Perez, he has struggled massively in recent races in the other Red Bull.
Perez’s underperformance recently has been such that even Fernando Alonso’s mentor, Flavio Briatore, has raised concerns about whether the Mexican can deliver for Red Bull. Briatore’s recent remarks come when Perez failed to qualify for Q3 in each of his last three races.
As a result of these underwhelming performances, Perez has fallen a staggering 69 points behind Verstappen in the championship. What is surprising about this deficit is that just four races ago, Perez reduced the gap in the championship to just six points with a win in Baku.
Since Perez has had such a dramatic fall, Briatore believes that this is a clear example that indicates that the car must be strong to get results and that the driver must also be equally capable. This is why the former Renault boss believes that Perez “may not be up to the task.”
Briatore believes Perez is simply not good enough to match Verstappen
Some F1 drivers who achieve regular success are often discredited for their performances, as many often cite the car’s pace as the reason for the racer’s success. However, the massive difference in the performances between Red Bull teammates Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez clearly highlights that having a quick car is not a guarantee for success.
And it is exactly this point that Flavio Briatore made in his recent interview with the Italian business newspaper Il Riformista. He began by stating (as quoted by autoracing1.com), “We saw the usual absolute supremacy of a driver, Max Verstappen, in Canada. His teammate Checo Perez, on the other hand, was far behind“.
After stating the difference in results that Verstappen and Perez had in Canada, Briatore added, “It was another demonstration that not only the car must be good, but the driver must also be up to the task“. Briatore has made a vital point as Perez is closer to the likes of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton in the championship than he is to Red Bull teammate Verstappen.
Is Sergio Perez’s second place in the championship under threat?
Sergio Perez will not just be concerned about his recent performances but also about the wind tunnel penalty that Red Bull will have to incur at some point of the 2023 season because of their cost cap breach. Because of this penalty, the Milton Keynes outfit will not be able to improve their car after a certain point.
And this could be the time when the likes of Aston Martin and Mercedes close the gap to Red Bull. At such a stage, if Perez does not have a sizeable gap over the likes of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, then he could be at risk of losing his second place in the championship.
And last but not least, Max Verstappen’s comments about Perez’s underperformance are likely to be a huge concern for the Mexican as well.
In a recent interview, when he was asked about Perez’s underperformance, Verstappen replied (as quoted by marca.com) that people would have probably not deemed the Mexican’s performances as so poor had he not been delivering for the team week in and week out.
With the pressure all on Perez recently, it will be interesting to see if the Mexican can now bounce back from this slump or not. And as for Verstappen, he will hope to continue this dominance for the rest of the campaign.
