Sergio Perez Red Bull
Sergio Perez Red Bull Source: PlanetF1

Sergio Perez had a great start to the 2023 season. Initially, he won a couple of races in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan. Moreover, Checo said after winning a couple of races that he was ready to win the current season. After the first four races, the excitement of fans rose as they were getting ready to see an intense internal competition between Red Bull drivers. But it did not last long. Max Verstappen went on an eight-race winning streak.

Red Bull won all 12 races so far, and Verstappen won 10 alone. On the other hand, Sergio Perez faced difficulties in a few Q3 sessions. Later, he said he needed time to understand the car better. Last year, Checo had difficulty understanding the car too. Moreover, Sergio Perez won a couple of last year as well. Hence, the pressure is constantly building for the Mexicans. But in a recent interview with Mundo Deportivo, Sergio Perez revealed he constantly communicates with his psychologist.

   

Sergio Perez Seeks Mental Help To Stay Calm

Sergio Perez Max Verstappen
Sergio Perez with Max Verstappen

Moreover, Checo has a lot of experience in Formula One over ten years. He knows how to stay calm under a lot of pressure. But Checo feels Red Bull backs him pretty well. Moreover, Sergio Perez believes that despite everything that’s happening, it is essential they enjoy their time on the grid. After all, it has been their dream to be part of Formula One. Most importantly, Checo thinks his psychologist helps him pretty well to take care of the mental part. The Mexican thinks he is in a terrific state of mind. When a driver is just breaking records every race in every season, it becomes harder for the teammate to maintain the same balance.

But Sergio Perez has not been that successful. Moreover, Red Bull has not been very kind to Max’s previous teammates, who faced a similar situation to Checo. For instance, Daniel Ricciardo and Piere Gasly can relate to what Sergio Perez is going through at present. If a driver does not live up to expectations, then Red Bull generally downgrades them by sending them to their sister team, Alpha Tauri, previously called Torro Rosso. Moreover, Sergio Perez is under a contract that states if Checo finishes below the 125 points gap from Max Verstappen, then there will be a deduction from his salary. On top of that, there is media pressure that can be a real pain for the drivers.

The Dichotomy Of Checo And Max

Max Verstappen Sergio Perez
2PWER84 VERSTAPPEN Max (ned), Red Bull Racing RB19, portrait PEREZ Sergio (mex), Red Bull Racing RB19, portrait press conference during the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2023, 4th round of the 2023 Formula One World Championship from April 28 to 30, 2023 on the Baku City Circuit, in Baku, Azerbaijan – Photo Xavi Bonilla/DPPI Credit: DPPI Media/Alamy Live News

But the Mexican must be looking for his third win in a season for the first time. Anyway, until he gets to his third win, it is increasingly becoming difficult to be the teammate of Max Verstappen. The Dutchman won 15 races last year. He has already won 10 this year. There are still ten more races to go.

Max Verstappen might actually finish the season with 20 race wins. He would be the first driver in history to do so. Already Max Verstappen is the first driver to win 15 races a season. The previous best was 13 race wins record that belonged to Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel.