Even though Red Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen are teammates at Red Bull, it is clear that the former is the number two driver on the team. According to Dutch Motorsport.com, Kees van de Grint, a former Ferrari ally and head of the Bridgestone Competition Department has compared the Mexican driver’s situation to that of Michael Schumacher’s deputy. Van de Grint compared Perez with Rubens Barrichello, who acted second fiddle to Schumacher during the latter’s peak Ferrari days.
Barrichello drove for Ferrari from 2000 to 2005 where he was in full support of the German driver. He finished P2 twice in the championship and finished third once. Along with these, he helped the prancing horses pick up five consecutive constructors’ title wins.
🗣️ “We could never have dreamt of getting to summer break unbeaten, that’s never been achieved before.” pic.twitter.com/nbUbF4WrzG
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) August 1, 2023
Interestingly, the Brazilian driver’s contract said that he was allowed to compete against Schumacher if need be. In the case of Perez, however, the same cannot be said at Red Bull. This proves that Verstappen is the clear number one driver at the Milton-Keynes-based outfit.
Van de Grint believes Perez is in a similar Barrichello situation
Van de Grint, an F1 expert has recently opened up on Perez’s situation at Red Bull. He believes that it is no better than Barrichello or Massa’s situation when Ferrari made a tailored car for Schumacher and Alonso to succeed.
Talking about this, he said, “It was no different than with Schumacher and Barrichello. That car was always more or less tailor-made for Schumacher, who had certain requirements that made him stand out better, and Barrichello, and later also Felipe Massa, had, with difficulty. Anyway, they played second fiddle.”
We had a great start, the important thing was to make sure we finished the car without damage and to score some good points.
The goal is to stay on the podium for the rest of the yearTuvimos un gran comienzo, lo importante fue asegurarnos de terminar el auto sin daños y sumar… pic.twitter.com/gnqeST67H3
— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) July 30, 2023
Admittedly, the Red Bull actually hailed the 33-year-old for not challenging the two-time world champion. Red Bull taskmaster Helmut Marko was in full praise, especially when Perez played his game and stayed away from challenging Verstappen.
Marko’s recent stance on Sergio Perez versus Verstappen
Marko has recently revealed his thoughts on Sergio Perez taking on Verstappen. The 80-year-old said that one can never match the Dutchman in F1 currently.
He also added that Verstappen holds a psychological edge over everyone else on the grid. This proves how Marko and Co. clearly regard Verstappen as an invaluable asset. Its also something David Croft clearly believes in.
As things stand, Max Verstappen is on his way to claiming the third consecutive world championship. Given how big the gap between him and his rivals is, the Dutchman can claim his title as early as Qatar Grand Prix and cement his position among the greats in F1.
