Sergio Perez was predicted to be a rival to Max Verstappen in his quest for the title this season. However, the driver has suffered a slump in the past few races that have almost ended his championship hopes. Now, he looks at his teammate for inspiration to become better at his craft.
Perez and Verstappen were matched closely after the opening two rounds, with only one point separating them. However, the Mexican driver made a series of costly errors in the last two races in Monaco and Spain.
The driver wants to start the Canadian GP on a clean slate with a fresh mind. However, he needs to take inspiration from the Dutchman, who has had a spotless season so far.
Sergio Perez compares his season with Max Verstappen’s
Sergio Perez arrives for the 2023 Canadian GP 53 points behind his teammate Max Verstappen. The driver was asked in the pre-race press conference why his teammate has excelled despite the two having equal machinery.
The Mexican pointed out it’s due to Verstappen’s perfect performances so far. He said, “I think he has been able to deliver when it matters – in Qualifying and he hasn’t had a bad weekend at all this year. And I think that’s what I need.”
He added, “I cannot afford to have any bad weekends anymore. I think I’ve had two or three bad weekends in the season, so I have to get rid of those and keep the consistency high.”
In Monaco, Verstappen clinched pole position by gaining three-tenths in the last sector of the track. While Checo, regarded as an expert on street circuits, crashed out in Q1 and finished with no points. The Mexican’s cursed performances extended to the Spanish GP, where he qualified P11 and finished the race P4.
Perez, who will be racing his 50th race with Red Bull in Canada, needs to stay as close to Verstappen as possible to keep his title hopes alive. However, the 2x world champion looks likely to secure his hat-trick of titles this year.
Why has Max Verstappen outperformed Perez?
Sergio Perez has been racing in F1 since 2011 and has completed nearly 250 race starts. He has achieved 6 GP victories, 5 of them with Red Bull. Yet, the Mexican has been eclipsed by the much younger Max Verstappen.
In 2021, Verstappen battled Lewis Hamilton for the title, which went on until the season’s last race. Perez finished the season 4th. The driver was adapting to the Red Bull car but played an instrumental role in helping his teammate win his maiden title.
In 2022, Charles Leclerc gained an early lead in the title race. But the Dutchman made steady progress and lifted his 2nd title after claiming 15 wins in the season. Perez could not stay on the same level as his teammate and finished 3rd in the standings.
This year was the Mexican’s best chance to win the title. He was driving the fastest car in the grid and was well adapted to Red Bull’s machinery. However, he has been a victim of circumstances that have kicked him out of the title race.
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko claimed the 2x champion never saw Perez as a rival. However, the Mexican racer needs to step up against the Dutchman if he wants to achieve his championship goals.
