After steadily falling behind team-mate Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez has come under fire from Martin Brundle for his recent efforts. During last weekend\’s Dutch Grand Prix, held in his home country, the Dutchman won the competition, with Perez coming in fifth. Lately, the Mexican seemed a real contender for the world championship early in the season. The momentum in his case increased during the Monaco Grand Prix, where Perez won on the storied track and closed the gap behind Verstappen to 15 points.
But since then, circumstances have changed. Verstappen has swept the 2022 campaign thus far with ten victories. But Sergio Perez has battled with consistency and has fallen 109 points behind his teammate Red Bull driver. And at this weekend\’s Italian Grand Prix, his problems and previous poor form were on full show during the first practice session. Practice doesn\’t matter as much as how well you perform in qualifying or the race. However, Perez was eight-tenths of a second slower than Verstappen and a full second slower than Ferrari\’s Charles Leclerc.
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The Mexican was seen as a legitimate title candidate earlier in the season. After the Formula One race in Monaco, this viewpoint became increasingly prevalent. His victory there reduced the gap between him and teammate Max Verstappen in the championship battle to 15 points. But even then, he has easily fallen short of the Dutchman. Verstappen has been in charge, but Sergio Perez has had trouble with consistency and form. As a result, Perez has fallen way back and is now essentially out of the race for the championship title.
Martin Brundle Slams Sergio Perez!
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Apparently, the Italian Grand Prix revealed his issues this coming weekend\’s first practice session. While lap times in practice are less significant, the fact that he was eight-tenths behind his teammate and more than a second slower than Charles Leclerc was alarming. Just over 10 minutes into the practice session, Verstappen was forced to end his maiden flying lap on medium tires. He ran into Mercedes\’ George Russell in the sluggish traffic.
And because of lagging behind, Sergio Perez has received criticism from former racer Martin Brundle. He said, \”You could see the DRS oscillating on a Red Bull. It can\’t be helped with the downforce. But you don\’t need a whole lot of downforce there.\” According to Brundle, Red Bull is just as baffled by Perez\’s problems as the driver. When asked what the issue was, he stated that they would solve it immediately if he knew.
