Sergio Perez has recently received an agonizing wake-up call in his championship hope against Max Verstappen. The Mexican who is still in pursuit of his maiden F1 world title has been called out by F1 expert Tom Coronel.
Coronel, speaking about it as per Dutch Motorsport.com said there is no way Perez got any chance against the defending champion. When someone’s against the like of Verstappen, they always play second fiddle, added the expert.
He further went on to add, “How many times have we seen other drivers walk away with their tails between their legs? Think well not that you can match it. Forget it. There’s no hope at all.”
However, Coronel admitted that there’s a glimmer of hope for Perez. He conveyed that if things go wrong with the Dutchman technically, the Mexican can make use of this opportunity and catch up.
Coronel believes Verstappen’s lead will get bigger
Verstappen, who had just six points lead over his teammate before the 2023 Miami Grand Prix, now has 14 after the thumping win despite starting from P9. But Verstappen’s compatriot and expert Coronel believes the gap will be larger from here on.
Talking about this, he said, “Get used to it, because it’s going to get even bigger.” Admittedly, the 33-year-old has only been successful against the defending champion on street circuits.
Now with traditional circuits coming in, there is little hope for Perez to close the gap and take a surprising lead. This is because the former Toro Rosso man is naturally at his best in these kinds of tracks.
Max Verstappen vs Sergio Perez in 2023
Despite being a heavy favorite to clinch his third F1 world championship, Max Verstappen is still to extend his lead over his teammate Sergio Perez. With five races down, the Dutchman has 14 points lead with 119 points as compared to the Mexican’s 105.
The 25-year-old also edged the former Force India driver in terms of statistics. The former has three wins, two pole positions, and five overall podiums, as compared to the latter’s two wins, two pole positions, and four overall podiums.
With rivals like Mercedes, Ferrari, or Aston Martin and their drivers looking to be out of the race for now, it’s all down to the two Red Bull drivers in the end. With Perez having permission to race Verstappen, things are expected to go down the wire as the season progresses.
