Ever had your parents compare you to your sibling or to your best friend? The same argument can be applied here in the case of the two Redbull drivers, Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen, both in the same machinery, both under the same guidance yet somehow one has two championships under his belt while the other has zilch.
The 2023 F1 season started on a very exciting note as Sergio Perez and his teammate won two of the first four races of the season each. As a matter of fact, Checo even got the better of his counterpart in a wheel-to-wheel action in Baku.
Sadly, it wasn’t long before the two-time world champion Max reinstated his dominance in Miami. Having started the race from a disadvantageous P9 and yet grabbed the victory ahead of Sergio Perez. History repeated itself in Monaco and Barcelona as the Mexican star fell behind.
F1 pundit thinks Perez still has an opportunity to gather wins
According to F1 Pundit Natalie Pinkham,
“He’s still in the best car, he’s still got the opportunity to gather a handful more wins, which is great for his career tally. He’d rather be there than out of the sport, which was the alternative for him a couple of years ago. I understand that he will be frustrated because he probably felt at certain points, particularly after notching up a couple of wins at the start of the season, that he was in with a chance of winning the championship.”
With 15 races left to go, Sergio Perez is still very much in contention for winning the championship however he does need to pull himself back up and put up a fight against the Dutch hero.
What sets Max Verstappen apart from Sergio Perez?
Even though Sergio Perez had an eventful start to the season, he is trailing Max Verstappen by 53 points in the drivers’ championship.
Max Verstappen is considered by many to be a prodigy but does that mean Sergio Perez has nothing to offer? Absolutely not.
Perez in Sakhir GP,2020 impressed many by winning the race from P20 with Racing point (Aston Martin now). So it is clear that he has potential but then how is Max dancing away with an edge over Sergio? Max is expected to equal Ayrton Senna’s record of 41 career wins in the coming races.
Age might be a factor as Perez is 33 while Max is only 25 years of age. Another issue might be the fact that Red Bull has favored Max in the past when it comes to tire strategies or setting the priority during the race.
We will always support you @SChecoPerez 🇲🇽💪 the championship is 22 races not 7🧠you are the best, the problem is that you are only within @redbullracing 👎 but you have your fans supporting you👏 Marko and Horner only lie to favor the otro🤐 @redbull @redbullMEX @Carlos_Slim_D pic.twitter.com/kizoZkmTTv
— Maria Godinez (@MariaGodinez25) June 9, 2023
Checo’s fans also have expressed their great support and following during these trying times for the Mexican Driver.
In the upcoming Canadian GP, it will be interesting to see if Redbull’s Sergio Perez gets back on his horse or remains merely as a reflection in Verstappen’s rearview mirror.
