Sergio Perez has been under immense pressure throughout the season. It is not easy to be a teammate of Max Verstappen. When a three-time champion keeps on winning almost every race, the teammate feels the pressure to keep up on the other end. The team and the fans expect the same level of brilliance from the teammate as well. But it is never easy to win ten or more races in a row. That’s what Max Verstappen did this year. Moreover, Checo was feeling the pressure of being Verstappen’s teammate as well.
On top of that, the Red Bull advisor has not been very kind to Checo. Adding to that, Sergio Perez constantly feels the pressure of a potential replacement that’s available to his current team. Previously, Checo mentioned he was going through depression as well. Later, he hired a mental coach who helped him gain self-confidence. Since then, Sergio Perez had a few podium finishes as well. Recently, Checo had a tough fight against Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso for a P3 finish at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Did The 2023 Brazilian GP Save The Red Bull Seat Of Sergio Perez?
Albeit, Alonso ended on the podium with Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez sure impressed his team. Even Checo’s teammate mentioned that he almost went off track because he was looking at the big screen that showed Checo and Alonso having a thrilling fight. Sergio Perez was a bit unlucky in the qualifying session, as he had finished at ninth place. But he showed a lot of spirit as he almost made a podium last Sunday. Now, the question is if this spirited fight helped save Checo’s place in Red Bull.
Principal Christian Horner recently made clear that Sergio Perez will return as a Red Bull driver next year. Anyway, Checo had one more year remaining in his contract with Red Bull. But when the Red Bull F1 boss reassured it, he certainly gets added hope. But Daniel Ricciardo has made a double return to F1, and that’s concerning for Checo and his Red Bull seat. The Mexican had a poor outing in his home circuit in the previous Grand Prix. But he did improve a lot in Brazil. It is good to see Perez finish in the top 5.
How The Change In RB19 Affected Checo This Season?
At present, Max Verstappen has won 17 Grand Prix this season, with two more races to go. The Dutchman broke his last year’s record of 15 race wins. On the other hand, Sergio Perez won a couple of races at the beginning of the season. It raised hopes among the fans that they might see a fierce rivalry between the two Red Bull drivers. While the fans waited to see an intense competition between the Verstappen and Perez duo, the Mexican driver gradually started fading away.
It was the Miami Grand Prix, since when Perez failed to finish at the top of the podium. In the beginning, Checo blamed the car. He mentioned the car had changed since the Miami Grand Prix. But he thought he was getting a better understanding of the car in the initial days of the season. However, as the car changed, as per Checo, his performance went downhill.