The 2023 season has been far from a fairytale season for Sergio Perez despite the start looking like the beginning of something big. After so many setbacks, the Qualifying session in Brazil finally gave the fans a glimpse of how good the 33-year-old can be when things start going his way. Following the same, Perez took the opportunity to draw parallels between him and the performances of the Ferrari drivers.
The situation at Ferrari has taken a drastic turn, with Carlos Sainz now emerging as the team’s lead driver. While Charles Leclerc used to wear the no. 1 crown at the Maranello outfit, the Singapore GP gave way to a turn of events. With one race win and an additional two podiums, Sainz is in P4 in the driver’s standings, while Leclerc is in P7 with four podiums and 166 points.
🇧🇷Disappointed. The wind picked up quickly making it very tricky and the lap wasn’t good. Being one of the last in the queue doesn’t help as every second is key in these situations. Anyways, on to tomorrow.
–#CarlosSainz pic.twitter.com/tclYebnbxC
— Carlos Sainz (@Carlossainz55) November 3, 2023
Meanwhile, Perez is still in P2 despite a strong dip in performances, owing to his two race wins amid his eight podium places. Following a strong outing in Q1 and Q2 in Brazil, Perez claimed he was in a similar situation in Red Bull as Sainz is in Ferrari- as reported on X by ‘Ferrari News.’
“Max manages to get more performance from the car. I struggle more and keep working to try to understand the reason. It’s very similar to what happened at Ferrari with Charles and Carlos. It seems that Carlos is finally comfortable with the car.”
While Perez claims he and Sainz were once in a similar position in each of their teams, the stats suggest otherwise. The Ferrari drivers are much closer in competition with each other when compared to the Red Bull drivers. Despite the difference in positions, Verstappen stands 251 points ahead of his teammate, while Sainz is only 17 points ahead. Nonetheless, Perez seems to be on the road to recovery, given his outing in Sao Paulo on Friday.
Better late than never for Sergio Perez?
Throughout the 2023 season, Perez has been subject to immense criticism from fans and experts following a dismal showing despite having the fastest car on the grid. Given the often lackluster performance, Perez stands miles behind his teammate despite sitting in P2 in the driver’s championship. As things stand, there is a 251-point gap between both Red Bull drivers, with three Grands Prix and one sprint session left in the season.
Sergio Perez better watch his rearview mirror because Lewis Hamilton is making a comeback!
Now, he is only 20 points behind with 3 races to go.#Formula1 #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/BmFlJfCxLt— Stamentum (@stamentum) October 29, 2023
With 491 points to his name, Verstappen has easily sealed his third-consecutive driver’s world title. Meanwhile, with 240 points to his name, Perez is yet to ensure a P2 finish with Lewis Hamilton breathing down his neck. With 20 points to defend in three Grands Prix and a sprint session, Perez’s toughest challenge will be to defend his lead while driving a car that experts suggest is tailor-made to be driven by Max Verstappen.
