Max Verstappen dominated the 2022 F1 season, winning 15 races and clinching his second World Championship as a result. In the initial stages, his teammate Sergio Perez posed some threat to him but fell off the pace as the season progressed.
The Mexican driver ended up finishing the year in P3, a point behind second-placed Leclerc. Now that this campaign is over, the entire focus is on 2023, and fans are wondering if Perez can finally challenge for the World Championship in his third season with Red Bull.
https://t.co/wBvTAwTp6l – Christian Horner was asked if Sergio Perez has a chance to challenge Max Verstappen in the 2023 championship.
“Max is operating at a level where I’m not sure anyone […] in the same car would be able to repeat what he’s accomplished this year.”
— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) November 21, 2022
Team principal Christian Horner, however, insists that Verstappen is unbeatable at the moment. The 49-year-old feels that no driver in F1 today is good enough to repeat Verstappen’s 2022 feat in the same car. This is why Horner dismisses Perez’s chances of competing for the Title in 2023.
“Max is operating at a level where I’m not sure anyone in the same car would be able to repeat what he’s accomplished this year,” he said to Motorsport Total.
Also read: Red Bull gifted Sebastian Vettel a special piece of his championship winning car
Max Verstappen ends perfect 2022 season with win in Abu Dhabi
The 2022 F1 season went off to a poor start for Verstappen, who suffered two retirements in the first three races. Since then, however, he has been unstoppable and has gone on to win 15 races in the campaign. His closest challenger was Charles Leclerc, whose Title charge kept falling off as the season progressed.
The finale in Abu Dhabi was no different as Verstappen won yet another race comfortably. The battle for second place was close, as Perez narrowly missed out on P2 in the Drivers’ Championship to Leclerc.
That was 2022 👏🏁 pic.twitter.com/36RsWIlJu2
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) November 21, 2022
In his final F1 race, four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel salvaged a point for Aston Martin. His biggest rivals, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso were both forced to retire with mechanical issues. Overall, it was an emotional weekend for F1 fans all over. Fan favorites Daniel Ricciardo and Mick Schumacher too, won’t be in F1 next year.
Seb doing his thang! 🙌#AbuDhabiGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/LFAZAZpePn
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 21, 2022
Ricciardo and Schumacher lost their F1 seats due to poor form, but most people expect them to be back soon.
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