Despite finishing second in the championship, Sergio Perez had a disappointing 2023 season as he finished a whopping 290 points behind Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen. However, his problems are likely to worsen as he heads into 2024. The Mexican did not do himself any favors with the penalty points he got on his super license as he now faces the threat of a race ban.
According to a report issued by formulapassion.it, the 33-year-old has already got seven penalty points on his super license and is just five points away from a race ban. Interestingly, he got all of these penalty points in the second half of the 2023 campaign.
Perez got his first penalty points in Singapore on September 17 due to an accident. Just a week after, he got another four penalty points for two separate incidents in Japan. He got a couple of points for an accident and another two points for overtaking under the safety car.
His troubles did not end there as he also got another couple of points during the season finale in Abu Dhabi for colliding with George Russell. Perez is likely to have made most of these mistakes due to the increasing pressure he has faced over the course of the 2023 campaign due to his massive underperformance.
Sergio Perez has massively underperformed in comparison to Max Verstappen
Sergio Perez has not only had far more moments on the race track that have cost Red Bull dearly but has also been far less consistent than Max Verstappen. The relentless Dutchman showcased utter dominance as he won 19 out of the 22 races. In stark contrast, Perez just managed to win two.
Since the Mexican has struggled massively, there have also been various reports that Red Bull may replace him. However, with Perez having managed to finish P2 in the championship, he may have just convinced Red Bull to hang on with him for a bit longer.
If Perez wants to avoid being replaced, he will need to ensure that he is at the top of his game next season as Red Bull cannot afford to have such a difference in the level of performances of their two drivers. Hence, the pressure is definitely on Perez to deliver as the Milton Keynes outfit are not short on talent either.
Red Bull not only have the likes of Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda in their junior team, AlphaTauri, but they also have the highly talented Liam Lawson as a reserve driver. Moreover, they have also been linked with McLaren’s Lando Norris in the recent past.
