Max Verstappen is currently in a battle with McLaren’s Lando Norris for the title. The latter’s team is cruising in the Constructors’ Championship with a healthy 41-point lead, but Verstappen holds the edge in the Drivers’ standings. He is 52 points ahead with six race weekends to go. As such, Verstappen is the favorite to defend his crown.
However, Verstappen’s fourth Championship win could leave a bitter taste in the mouth of Sergio Perez, as he faces an unwanted distinction— being the teammate of a champion who failed to finish higher than P8 in the standings.
This has only happened twice in F1 history. The first was by Michael Schumacher during his 1994 championship-winning campaign, where he had three teammates— JJ Lehto, Jos Verstappen, and Johnny Herbert.
Of the three, only Jos scored points, securing a P10 finish in the standings. The second instance came with Alain Prost’s 1985 title, when his teammate, Niki Lauda, suffered 11 DNFs and finished P10.
If Max Verstappen hangs on, he’d be the first champion to have his teammate finish 8th or worse in the standings since Michael Schumacher in 1994 (had 3 teammates) & Alain Prost in 1985 (teammate DNFed 11 times).
Unique story at Red Bull. No driver swaps or reliability issues.
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This record could further damage Perez’s reputation amid the ongoing debate over his Red Bull seat. The Guadalajara-born driver is already facing heavy criticism and the voices will only grow louder if he fails to improve.
Currently, Perez trails George Russell, who sits in P7, by 11 points in the drivers’ standings. With only six races left, he needs to close that gap and finish at least one position higher to avoid worsening his situation.
Unwanted record could also trigger Perez’s Red Bull exit
Reports had claimed that Red Bull was preparing to announce Perez’s departure after the Belgian GP earlier this season. However, these speculations turned out to be false, as the team confirmed their intention to finish the season with him.
Rumors suggest that this change of heart may have been influenced by intervention from Perez’s sponsors, and possibly even F1’s commercial rights holder, Liberty Media.
Nevertheless, Perez has faced ongoing pressure since returning from the summer break. He had a good chance to end his podium drought at the Azerbaijan GP, but a late crash with Carlos Sainz dashed that opportunity. In contrast, Verstappen has capitalized on the weaknesses in the car, making the most of the opportunities presented to him.
Adding to the pressure on Perez is Liam Lawson’s arrival, who has stepped in for Daniel Ricciardo at RB. The New Zealander is eager to prove his worth and many experts view him as a potential replacement for the struggling Perez.
