Sergio Perez Hits Back at Christian Horner; Declares He Can Beat Max Verstappen Anywhere

With a win in Azerbaijan, Sergio Perez has sent a message to his teammate Max Verstappen that the title fight is on. However, Christian Horner’s comment seemed condescending to his Mexican driver as Horner said Perez has only won in street circuits for them. And now, the 33-year-old driver has a response.

Perez claims that if he can win in a street circuit, then he can win anywhere in the world. Thus, further fueling his declaration for the title challenge against Max Verstappen.

SERGIO PEREZ LOVES STREET CIRCUITS 💥 pic.twitter.com/msBJtppnvP

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 30, 2023

“I think probably I have more confidence than others come race day on the street races, I don’t know. But at the end of the day, the way I won in in Baku on pure pace, it doesn’t matter if it’s a street circuit or a permanent circuit. If I’m able to do that in Baku, I can do that anywhere,” said Perez to media as published by RaceFans.

Sergio Perez claims street races are more pressurizing

The Red Bull superstar gave merit to his work by stating how tough the street races are. According to him, the street format is more punishing if mistakes are made, while someone can make up for the mistakes done on the conventional circuits.

Therefore, it makes street races more pressurizing than normal ones. He agrees that drivers while racing in the streets, are more nervous and cautious. But in his case, the Mexican star feels more confident than others, which is the reason behind his success.

However, the street circuits are a minority in the calendar, and to win a championship, Perez will have to stand up to his words of beating Verstappen in other circuits. Certainly, not going to be an easy task.

Expecting equal support

With two wins this season and only six points away from Verstappen, Perez has done everything to get his shot at the title. But title-winning teams are usually more inclined to back one driver over the other.

And considering Verstappen has given more flourishing performances over the years, he is the de-facto title candidate by Red Bull. However, with an impressive start to the season and maintaining the proximity to Verstappen, Perez now, as per the source, expects equal support from Red Bull for his title challenge.

Helmut Marko on Sergio Perez:

“Don’t underestimate Sergio. He changed a lot since he came to us. He started working!”

“Before, he was a Mexican race driver who was enjoying life. He still does, but he does the necessary work.”

“He is the most successful driver from Mexico now,… pic.twitter.com/gS2G2EsdVv

— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) May 4, 2023

So far, Horner has assured that they will let the two drivers compete for the title. Frankly, Red Bull can even afford to have an intra-team battle at this point, as no other side is close to them in pace. So why not have some fun?

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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