Sergio Perez has been going through a rough spell recently at Red Bull. After failing to make it to Q3 in the last five races, the Mexican crashed into the barriers within the first few minutes of the first free practice session in Hungary on Friday. And because of the 33-year-old’s recent poor run, the pressure is undoubtedly rising for him. Because of this, Perez admitted that he has been visiting a psychologist but has refused to blame either Red Bull or Max Verstappen for the same.
It is fair to say that the recent events at Red Bull would not have made Perez‘s life any easier. First, the Milton Keynes-based outfit showcased their ruthlessness by sacking Nyck de Vries just 10 races into the 2023 season.
Sergio Perez clips the grass and his FP1 ends in the barriers 💥#HungarianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/2sWABZXYQl
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 21, 2023
Second, the arrival of Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri has been a warning of sorts to Perez. The Australian has made it clear that he is keen on targeting the second seat at Red Bull, and with Perez underperforming recently, his seat is in real danger.
Sergio Perez responds to rumors suggesting Red Bull are favoring Max Verstappen
Since most Red Bull drivers that have been paired alongside Max Verstappen have struggled to compete against the Dutchman, many have raised concerns that the team prioritizes the 25-year-old over their second driver. However, Sergio Perez refuted these rumors with an emphatic response.
In a recent interview with Mundo Deportivo ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, the Mexican replied, “No, no, that’s impossible,” when asked that some people believing that Red Bull had tampered with his car. He then added that the team has always supported him, and that their focus is completely on giving him a car with which he can perform at his best.
Perez added that it is “crazy” to hear some of the things that people say outside. However, he did admit that there was a time when he was not in the best frame of mind. As a result, he had to start visiting a psychologist.
🚨 | Sergio Perez cannot afford to make any more mistakes, as he has already used up his spare parts.
Max Verstappen still has his parts, but it’s very unlikely that Red Bull would use them for Perez.
Red Bull has decided against changing Perez’ car back to the old… pic.twitter.com/eyiuCQ1rB0
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 22, 2023
“The mental part is very important to be able to be calm now. It is something that I have worked quite hard on with my psychologist and I think we are in a very good state of mind. It is key to understand why everything has happened and learn how to deal with it,” explained the 33-year-old.
While Perez admitted that he is managing his emotions a lot better now, the challenge that Verstappen poses as a teammate still remains as difficult as it was before. The results too seem to be going in Verstappen’s favor, with the 25-year-old winning eight races compared to Perez’s two.
Perez admits pressure at Red Bull is more as compared to other teams
After confessing that he has been visiting a psychologist, Sergio Perez gave two reasons as to why he is under pressure at Red Bull. Firstly, he mentioned the obvious challenge of having to beat a formidable driver like Max Verstappen.
The Guadalajara-born believes that if a driver is “not mentally strong,” they cannot be at Red Bull as “90% of the drivers would sink next to Verstappen“. After explaining the same, Perez also stated that the interest that most drivers have in joining Red Bull requires the existing drivers to always remain on their toes.
The 33-year-old then concluded by stating that he has never seen this sort of pressure at other teams such as Ferrari or at Mercedes. He believes that when it comes to Red Bull, even if a driver has a few bad weekends, they could be at risk of losing their seat. However, he believes that the same is perhaps not applicable at their rivals.
Considering Perez’s recent remarks, it is fair to say that he is still feeling intense pressure to deliver because of the fear that he may lose his seat. The driver that seems most likely that has an eye on his seat is AlphaTauri’s new signing Daniel Ricciardo.
