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“It has brought me onto another level”: Sergio Perez on how Max Verstappen pushed him to be a better driver in his first year at Red Bull

Somin Bhattacharjee
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“The Minister of Defence” - Red Bull pay a magnanimous tribute to Sergio Perez for his heroics versus Lewis Hamilton at Abu Dhabi

Sergio Perez admits that having Max Verstappen as a teammate at Red Bull has pushed him to become a better driver. 

Perez’s first season with his new team was turbulent, to say the least. It took him a lot of time to adjust to the RB16, and it wasn’t until the latter half of the season that we saw him get up to speed. The 31-year-old won the Azerbaijan GP in June and stood on the podium a further 4 times in 2021.

Perez was also praised for being a great ‘supporting driver’ throughout the season. He often put in strong performances to help Verstappen gain an advantage over his title rival Lewis Hamilton. After his strong defensive display at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, Verstappen took the team radio to call Perez a ‘legend’.

When asked by Autosport about his first year in Red Bull, Perez said, “Very intense. It’s been extremely intensive. A lot of work has been done behind the scenes, a lot of pressure.”

Also read: Red Bull boss Christian Horner looks back on a ‘Hollywood’ like 2021 F1 season

“When you are at Red Bull Racing the pressure is on. Everyone is watching you, what you do and you guys are obviously a lot harder to a Red Bull driver, which is very understandable.”

The former Racing Point driver went on to praise his teammate Max Verstappen. He admitted that being in Red Bull and having the Dutchman as his teammate, improved his driving as the season progressed.

“It has brought me onto another level. And having Max as a teammate really pushes you to new levels. I’m enjoying it a lot at this point in my career. I’m very happy, and that’s the most important.”

Perez rues not being as consistent as Max Verstappen was in the 2021 season

Checo Perez lauded his teammate Verstappen’s brilliance while speaking about him. He called him ‘really good’ on all aspects in a race car, and went on to say that consistency was where the 24-year-old outperformed him.

“He’s really good. He’s really at one with the car and very good in qualifying and really good at the races,” said Perez.

“He’s very complete, experienced. I mean, the season he has done I think it’s been a legend, you know. It’s really impressive, and big praise to him. He’s really at one with the car.”

As the 2022 season approaches, the Mexican driver knows he has to step up to bigger challenges. Now that he has settled into life in Milton-Keynes, people will be expecting a lot more from him when the lights go out in Bahrain next March.

“When you are out of position and so on, I think the main thing I lacked was a consistency to constantly be at 100% with the car.” said the Guadalajara born driver.

“I have to raise my game for next year. And yeah, hopefully, we are all able to go forward,” he concluded.

Also read: Red Bull reckon Max Verstappen’s 51G crash at Silverstone delayed his anointment as new world champ

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Basketball Editor Somin Bhattacharjee first discovered the game during the 2014 FIBA World Cup. Not long after, he turned to the NBA and found himself drawn to the Golden State Warriors — right at the start of Stephen Curry’s rise. Over time, the admiration turned into full-blown support for the team, one that continues even as the Curry era approaches its twilight. A true hoophead, Somin also follows EuroLeague basketball closely and enjoys exploring the game beyond the NBA. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. Since 2021, he has penned over 3,000 articles for TheSportsRush, covering everything from breaking news to sharp opinion pieces and detailed exclusives. He thrives on writing about in-game moments and the reactions that make basketball a uniquely emotional sport. Beyond basketball, Somin plays different sports including soccer and remains a passionate fan of Spanish football giants Real Madrid

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