The 2023 F1 season arguably had the most dominant run the sport has ever witnessed. Max Verstappen broke several records, including Ayrton Senna’s 41-win milestone, en route to winning his third consecutive title. While he did that with aplomb, none of those records meant much to him. What matters to the Dutchman, however, is beating his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez. The massive gap of 290 points between them proves that the reigning champion left no stone unturned in his bid to achieve that.
In an earlier interview with Formula 1 Magazine, they asked Verstappen if surpassing Senna’s record meant anything to him. He replied, “Yes, but also that record … Nowadays there are more races than before. And like I said, you depend on the material. I deliberately put it into perspective. Other things are important to me. For example, that you should always beat your teammate. That is and remains the most important thing. And that is going quite well, yes.”
Although Verstappen beat Perez convincingly by the end, the Mexican did have a decent start to the season. The former Racing Point driver won two of the first four races of the campaign. However, Perez sadly did not register any more victories in the season thereafter.
The last of those victories for Perez came in Azerbaijan where he showcased his superior racing prowess on street circuits. The win, however, irked Verstappen so much that he made a vow. As per Karun Chandhok, Jos Verstappen revealed that Max promised him that Perez would never beat him again.
And that is exactly what happened. Verstappen won 17 more races after the race in Baku to make it a record 19 for the season. On the other hand, Perez failed to win a single race. Verstappen’s 19 wins also meant that he also broke his own record of 15 victories from last year.
Max Verstappen’s record-breaking season adds further pressure on Sergio Perez
Max Verstappen may have set out on a rampage but his run was made easier by Sergio Perez’s own failures. After the initial bout of good results, Perez’s form took a massive dip that kept on discovering new lows. The crash in Monaco proved to be a watershed moment in destroying whatever confidence was left in him.
As a result, rumors began to make rounds about Red Bull looking to offload him and find a better teammate for Verstappen. Finishing second in the championship, however, presumably helped him retain the place. The 33-year-old will now have to rediscover his lost form if he wants to continue driving for Red Bull beyond the 2024 season.
That is because team boss Christian Horner has made it clear that his seat is up for grabs in 2025. Horner also admitted that one of the biggest candidates in the hunt for that seat is none other than former Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo.
