Sergio Perez currently finds himself stuck in a negative spiral as results have not gone his way for most part of the 2023 season. The Mexican’s form has slipped drastically after matching Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen in the first four races. Perez now finds himself a whopping 209 points behind the Dutchman, who has already won the championship this season with five races to spare. Since the 33-year-old has been way off the pace, 2016 F1 champion Nico Rosberg has explained how the frustrations are growing for the former Racing Point driver.
The pressure on Perez is all the more current because even his team bosses have criticized him recently. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, who has been very supportive of the Guadalajara-born driver for the most part, has also seemingly had a change of stance now.
The Briton recently made it clear in an interview that Red Bull cannot afford to have Perez if he continues to be so inconsistent. “We can’t afford to have a big split because if, as you would expect, the grid continues to concertina next year, we need both drivers delivering at the top of the game,” explained Horner (as quoted by motorsport.com).
A weekend where nothing worked out for us, first of all I want to thank my entire @redbullracing team very much for getting my car ready on time, we have the best mechanics in the world.
Let’s think about the closing, there are still 5 very important races left and we are going… pic.twitter.com/UOT0PCkqlQ
— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) October 8, 2023
The stark difference in performances between the two was once again clear at the Qatar GP as well. Verstappen dominated the entire weekend by finishing second in the sprint before grabbing his 14th victory of the season in Sunday’s race.
On the other hand, Perez just managed to score one point by finishing tenth in the main race. Since there has been such a difference in performance between the two, Rosberg has attempted to analyze the reasons for why the 33-year-old has been struggling so much.
Nico Rosberg believes Max Verstappen’s consistency has increased Sergio Perez’s sufferings
While giving his take about the Qatar GP on Sky Sports, Nico Rosberg explained how Sergio Perez’s inability to match Max Verstappen has resulted in him being stuck in a negative spiral. The German believes that the 33-year-old will struggle to analyze where he is going wrong because his teammate has been so much faster than him for most part of the season.
After stating the same, Rosberg added (as quoted by formulapassion.it), “Everyone is watching you. Social media is very critical you know the memes and all, and it’s really a horrible situation to be in. Checo says that sometimes it’s a bit difficult to feel the car, but I think the biggest problem is Max’s level. It’s really difficult, and when you start getting ‘beaten’ over and over again you start to have a negative spiral“.
The 2016 F1 champion then explained how Verstappen’s consistency has caused Perez to make more mistakes as the races have progressed this season. “You go off track and are afraid of being thought of as an idiot again, being so far behind your teammate. It’s all about the state of mind, the negativity and all that, and then you’ll drive even slower“, explained Rosberg.
The 38-year-old believes that Perez’s struggles at Red Bull are similar to that of Lance Stroll at Aston Martin. Rosberg said that both drivers have simply not been able to match their teammates, who have been driving at another level. Moreover, since Perez is so far behind Verstappen, the Mexican himself has admitted that he feels increasingly pressurized because he is the Dutchman‘s teammate.
Sergio Perez believes it is a curse to be Max Verstappen’s teammate
In a conversation with Viaplay Netherlands, Sergio Perez opened up on how it feels like to be Max Verstappen’s teammate. While the Mexican admitted that the three-time champion is an incredibly difficult driver to beat, he’s happy to have the 26-year-old as his teammate. Perez has made these remarks despite adding in the same interview that Verstappen’s consistency creates immense pressure on him and makes it difficult to cope.
Now, with five races remaining in the 2023 season, Perez will hope that he can finish second in the championship to solidify his place in the Red Bull team. As things stand, he is currently second in the championship with 224 points, just 30 points clear of third-placed Lewis Hamilton.
