It is now known to every single F1 enthusiast that Sergio Perez is not as successful as Max Verstappen despite his driving the same car. Team Red Bull is so successful in the current cost cap era. It seems like, unlike other teams, they have perfected the mastery of building a fast championship-winning car. For that, the credit goes to the chief technical officer, Adrian Newey, the mastermind behind the incredible RB19 car. On top of that, the team principal, Christian Horner, always mentions that in their team, they support both drivers. And they don’t believe in partiality with anyone.
Hence, the question arises that if the car is the same and both drivers get the same support from the team, then what is the matter with Sergio Perez? Why can’t he take the fight back to his teammate Max Verstappen? Checo won a couple of races after the first four Grand Prix of the season was over. He even became the first F1 driver to win multiple races in Baku, Azerbaijan. But he seems to lose consistency as he lets his teammate gain a huge lead over him. And now, the F1 pundits answer the question, why Sergio Perez fell behind?
F1 Pundit Explain The Difference Between Sergio Perez And Max Verstappen
In 2021, when Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton’s streak of world championship title wins, Sergio Perez played a real teammate role for him. Even the Dutchman praised Checo on the radio at the moment of his victory. But coming to 2023, with Max being a double-time world champion, Perez also mentioned his desire to become the world champion. And it seemed that this year, he would challenge Max for the title. Checo started pretty well, winning a couple of Grand Prix races. But then, somehow, mid-way, he has started to fade away. Now, nobody can beat Max Verstappen from winning the races, as he has won five out of seven already. But due to Checo’s severe fallback, Mercedes gained podiums in the last Grand Prix.
In Monaco, everybody expected Sergio Perez to do well as it is a street circuit. But the race turned out a disaster for him as he finished at P16. Instead, Aston Martin and Alpine gained podiums. Currently, Max Verstappen is 53 points ahead of Sergio Perez. And while discussing the Red Bull drivers in an episode of the F1 Nation podcast, Natalie Pinkham stated that “The ability to work under pressure and get the best performance from the car separates Max and Checo.” She mentioned that a great driver delivers even when the conditions don’t favor him. That’s what Max has been doing every time as he snatches victory from the jaws of defeat. Lewis Hamilton has also done that many times in his long and illustrious career. But something similar has not been witnessed from Perez’s end. And that differentiates him from championship-winning drivers like Verstappen.
Checo Claims It Is Very Difficult To Be A Teammate Of Max Verstappen
After showing some promising results in the early part of the season, Sergio Perez came pretty close to being a threat to his teammate for winning the title. But his teammate Max showing no flaws at all, came back with dominant performances. The Dutchman has won five out of seven races so far. But Perez is still sitting with a couple of wins. While discussing his teammate’s caliber, Checo revealed that it is very difficult to beat a teammate when he is Max Verstappen. He gives no chance of beating him, as he is just that good. But Perez is happy with where he is this season in terms of the understanding of the car. Last season he faced difficulties in adapting to the car. But this year, Checo feels much better.