Sergio Perez has been facing a lot of flak from the media over his consistent failure to challenge Max Verstappen despite driving the same car. As the criticism grows, Perez seems to have reached his breaking point as he called out the media for focusing too much on making a case for his $10,000,000 job being taken away while Mercedes’ George Russell enjoys life despite major slip-ups from the Briton.
Heading into the final few races of the season and the subsequent 2024 season, Perez stands as the most vulnerable driver on the grid. Owing to a hostile environment around him in Red Bull and failure to keep up with Verstappen, most reports suggest the Mexican driver might face the axe sooner rather than later. As questions piled up on him, the 33-year-old lost his patience and called out the media over their ‘hypocrisy.’
Sergio Perez calls out the media for not questioning George Russell
The Singapore GP ended in disaster for Mercedes and George Russell as the driver crashed in the closing stages of the final lap of the race. Holding P3 and pushing for P2, a momentary lapse in concentration led to Russell falling out of the podium places and not seeing the Chequered Flag. As a result, Mercedes earned a P3 finish with Hamilton on the podium as opposed to a P3, P4 finish (if not better). Recalling the same incident, Perez lashed out at media houses for only questioning him and not Russell, as quoted by Formula Passion.
“Russell he crashed into the barriers on the last lap in Singapore, while fighting for second place, but no one in the media talked about it. When it happens to a Red Bull driver, there are immediately thousands of people who say you should be replaced.”
Perez’s claims might carry some credibility to them but not enough to raise a genuine concern. While the point stands true, there is little common between Perez’s continued inconsistency and Russell’s slip-up in Singapore. What might have come out of sheer anger could soon become another cause for concern for Perez as he already faces a whirlwind of issues in Red Bull.
Why Perez has more focus on him
Having started the season off on a strong foot with two wins in four races, Perez soon fell way below Verstappen’s performances. Despite holding on to P2 in the driver’s standings, the 33-year-old’s performances have been nothing to write home about. His teammate soon became a run-away championship leader while the most Perez could do was solidify his position as the season’s vice-champion.
Apart from a slumping performance, Checo sits on what is the most coveted seat in all of F1 right now. Every driver is vying for a chance to sit on the seat and be the perfect partner to Max Verstappen before potentially vying for the championship themself. For now, Perez sits firmly on the seat but with a constant shadow of doubt over his future. Out with injury, Daniel Ricciardo stands as the primary figure to replace Perez, but Liam Lawson could become the surprise heir to the throne, given Red Bull has confirmed him as their backup driver for next season.
