Max Verstappen is the most in-form driver in F1 today, and being his teammate is particularly difficult. Sergio Perez, however, is not afraid to rise up to the challenge, and while the gap between them has been huge, he is adamant that he’s working hard to close it down.
The Mexican driver used an analogy from one of the greatest rivalries in sporting history to compare himself to Verstappen. The latter has always been labeled as a ‘born-racer’, someone who is exceptionally talented and can use their natural skills to win races. Perez feels that this makes him very similar to Lionel Messi.
Messi is arguably one of the greatest football players of all time and has won almost everything there is to win in the sport. He too is considered to be an athlete who possesses god-gifted talent with a ball at his feet. His biggest rival, Cristiano Ronaldo on the other hand, used his perseverance, dedication, and hard work to reach the same level. These two colossal sporting figures have changed the world of football (and sports) with their staggering list of achievements.
Sergio Perez compares himself to Cristiano Ronaldo
In the Hugo Sanchez Presents show, Perez used this analogy to compare himself to Ronaldo. “Messi is Verstappen, he said. “A very natural driver, very talented. And he is the Messi of cars. I’m like Cristiano, talented too. But more worked and dedicated to get the best out of himself.”
Ronaldo, like Messi, has achieved almost everything there is to win in football. He is one of the biggest stars in the game and has shared the spotlight with the Argentine at the top of the pedestal for 15+ years, which is a huge feat. However, the former Real Madrid superstar had to work a lot harder than Messi to reach where he is today.
Ronaldo himself was talented too, but not as much as Messi. This prompted Perez to use this analogy to compare himself to Verstappen, who like Messi, was immensely talented and burst into the world stage at a very young age.
