Sergio Perez shocked everyone by crashing out of the 2023 Monaco GP’s qualifying in Q1. The Mexican driver lost the rear of his car and slammed into the barriers, which brought out the red flags.
Perez will most likely achieve no point in Sunday’s race. If Max Verstappen, who starts on the pole, wins the race of finishes on the podium, then Perez’s title hopes will be extinguished.
According to former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer, Checo should have closely studied Nico Rosberg’s title-winning season as a reference for beating Verstappen. However, the driver’s mistake in Monaco has effectively ended his championship hopes
Sergio Perez has a 14-point deficit to his teammate Max Verstappen who produced a masterclass lap to secure pole position. With the Dutchman on the pole, he can comfortably achieve a win on the track which is difficult to overtake.
Sergio Perez could have sustained a title battle if he did not crash in the Monaco GP qualifying
According to Jolyon Palmer, Perez should have been more cautious knowing he is not on the same level as his teammate. However, he could have still challenged his superior teammate in the title race like Nico Rosberg did in 2016
Rosberg beat 7-time World champion Lewis Hamilton in equal machinery. The Germans had been beaten by his teammate twice, yet he produced a shocker by winning the title in 2016.
Devastation for Checo in Qualifying 😫
A close encounter with the barriers ended his session on a sour note 😔#MonacoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/WbW3Rp86wm
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 27, 2023
Palmer claimed in the Chequered Flag podcast, “Nico Rosberg did it, and in my opinion, Rosberg wasn’t as good as Hamilton when they were teammates. He put together an almost unblemished season to just nick it from Lewis, with Lewis having a lot of bad luck”
However, to beat a driver of Hamilton’s caliber takes a lot of consistency which Perez has lacked. According to Palmer, his mistake in Monaco could end his campaign.
Palmer added, “You cannot afford to crash in Q1 on two occasions in the first 6 races. Particularly in Monaco, which will be earmarked as a Perez track. He won it last year and he’s been on the podium in inferior cars on this track.”
Perez is not on the same level as Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, and Fernando Alonso are
At the start of the 2023 season, Sergio Perez was expected to be a dark horse in the title race. With the same car as defending champion Max Verstappen, the driver came within 1 point of the 2x world champion in the standings.
However, the driver has made mistakes which have cost him crucial points. Notably, his Q1 exits in Australia and Monaco will dent his chances to further extend his championship hopes.
However, Jolyon Palmer believes Perez was never seen as a candidate worthy of troubling Verstappen. Palmer believes the driver was not on the same level as Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.
It was my mistake, sorry to all my team @redbullracing Tomorrow it will be difficult to do anything, but it will be a new day.
Fue mi error, una disculpa a todo mi equipo. Mañana será difícil, pero será un nuevo día.#SP11 #MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/YQxrggAuAP
— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) May 27, 2023
Palmer said, “In reality, he is not as good a driver as Max Verstappen. That’s not to be harsh on him If we’re comparing Verstappen to anyone they won’t be favourites. Maybe Hamilton or Alonso.“
He added, “Checo has been in F1 for more than a decade. Putting a championship bid together against someone as good as Max has proven to be for so many years, takes everything.”
If Verstappen wins the race and secures the fastest lap while Perez manages to score nothing, the Dutchman will secure a 40-point lead in the championship.
