Sergio Perez Risks Humiliation Again to Set Target on Max Verstappen’s Back

Sabyasachi Biswas | 04/03/2024
Sergio Perez Risks Humiliation Again to Set Target on Max Verstappen’s Back

After playing second fiddle to Max Verstappen for two seasons, Sergio Perez arrived with a new ambition last year. In 2023, he wanted to fight with Verstappen for the title and started nicely, only to fall apart as the season progressed. Despite the difficulties he faced due to his title ambitions last season, Perez aims to challenge his teammate once again.

The Mexican driver had a strong start to the 2024 season. He finished P2 behind Verstappen in Bahrain and looked formidable, not letting any driver get close to him during the race. On the F1: Chequered Flag podcast, Perez spoke about reigniting his title aspirations once again. “Yeah, that’s obviously the main target,” he said.

The RB20 seems to be the strongest car on the grid. So theoretically, Perez can mount up a championship charge, but he has to avoid a repeat of last season. The Guadalajara-born driver started well and was level on points four races into the season. However, mistakes kept piling up from round 5 onwards, and his performances kept getting worse.

In fact, his performances (especially in qualifying) became so bad that rumors of him getting the sack became very strong. However, he received the backing from the Red Bull bosses. Helmut Marko, their team chief insists that all Perez has to do to keep his place is perform like he did in Bahrain.

However, if his aim of challenging for the title comes back to bite him once again, saving his seat could become a lot difficult.

Sergio Perez looking to save his Red Bull seat

Perez managed to hold on to P2 in the standings in 2023, which is what made Red Bull give him another chance. However, he is currently in the final year of his contract. With a plethora of talents, including Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda waiting on the sidelines, Perez needs to do something special to keep his seat.

Perez knows that his seat is still under threat from the aforementioned drivers. Starting the season off on a strong note, Perez will be hoping for more of the same in the coming rounds, to put himself in a comfortable position.

 

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
Daniel Ricciardo Liam Lawson Max Verstappen Sergio Perez Yuki Tsunoda

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Sabyasachi Biswas

Sabyasachi Biswas is an F1 journalist at The SportsRush. With over one and a half decades of love for the sport and five years of experience in the field, he dreams to be a regular at the paddock when the lights go out. A Red Bull fan and F1 fan in general over the years, he enjoyed watching Felipe Massa, Sebastian Vettel, and Max Verstappen dominate the track. Apart from F1, he's also a big-time Madridista and Federer fanatic. He was a sub-junior level footballer, won inter-district quizzes and debate competitions back in school. A travel freak throughout, he tries different cuisines and learns new cultures whenever he's away from the keyboard.

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