Max Verstappen enters the Australian Grand Prix weekend as the championship leader after pulling off a remarkable recovery drive in Saudi Arabia two weeks ago. Despite starting the Saudi Arabian GP in 15th, the Dutchman ended up finishing second, just behind his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.
The Mexican will have a similar task in Australia this weekend after a miserable qualifying session on Saturday. Perez will start Sunday’s race last after failing to set a lap time during qualifying due to a brake issue.
Considering the staggering pace advantage Red Bull have had so far this season, Perez’s fans will be optimistic that their hero can pull off a similar recovery drive to that of Verstappen in Saudi Arabia. However, the Dutchman fears Perez will not find it that easy to do so.
Verstappen believes Perez will find it difficult to pass in Australia
Max Verstappen does not believe that Sergio Perez can fight his way to the front of the field despite there being four DRS zones in Australia. When asked during Saturday’s FIA press conference if he considered his teammate to be a threat, the Dutchman replied, “Not for me”.
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When asked how much ground he believes Perez can recover, Verstappen replied, “I don’t know. I think this track is a bit tricky to pass but that extra DRS zone will help for sure”.
George Russell, who will start Sunday’s main race along Verstappen on the front row, agreed with the Dutchman’s views. While Russell is confident that Perez will be able to fight his way back to the top 10, he too admitted that he does not believe the Mexican will be able to make his way to the front of the grid.
Sergio Perez suffers huge blow in title fight with Max Verstappen
Sergio Perez‘s hopes of winning the championship this season would have undoubtedly been dealt with a major blow after he failed to set a lap time during the Australian Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday. Even though the Mexican is just a point behind Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen, he will have it all to do during Sunday’s race.
As for Verstappen, he will hope to extend his lead in the championship after qualifying on pole. The Dutchman was more than 0.2 seconds quicker than second-placed George Russell during qualifying and will undoubtedly be the favourite to win the race. Now the onus is on Perez to minimize the damage.
