Sergio Perez praises the level of Max Verstappen
Sergio Perez was questioned about Max Verstappen's performances, who has the opportunity to win a tenth consecutive race at Monza this weekend. The Mexican praises the "extreme" level of the Dutchman and admits that it is not easy to be his teammate.
Max Verstappen has already left an indelible mark in the history of Formula 1, but the Dutchman can go even further this weekend in Monza. After equaling Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine consecutive victories at Zandvoort, Verstappen can now surpass his predecessor by winning a tenth consecutive success.
The Dutchman is heading towards a third consecutive world championship title and is crushing the competition, starting with his teammate Sergio Pérez. The Mexican had a brilliant start to the season (two wins in the first three races), before falling behind and letting any chance of the world title slip away.
« We need to appreciate what Max achieves »
The Mexican, currently second in the championship, is trailing Verstappen by 138 points. The situation is understandably not easy for Perez, who is considered by Red Bull as the clear number 2 driver. When asked during a press conference before the Italian Grand Prix, the former Racing Point driver was led to discuss his teammate’s performances and was extremely complimentary.
« We must appreciate what Max is achieving. The level at which he is driving right now is extreme. He must be at 100% every weekend, no matter the conditions. It is something quite difficult to witness as a teammate. It doesn’t matter if we have a large or small margin over the competition, or even if we are struggling, he is capable of extracting 100% from himself and the car every weekend. »
At the end of his contract in 2024, Sergio Perez now needs to try to reduce the gap with his teammate in order to hope to stay at Red Bull. The Mexican driver has been too inconsistent this season, particularly in qualifying (five consecutive failures to make it into Q3). The six-time Grand Prix winner could become the collateral victim of a new record by Verstappen: the largest gap between a champion and his runner-up.
In 2013, Fernando Alonso had conceded 155 points to Sebastian Vettel, and Perez already has a 138-point deficit to his teammate. He must also be wary of the comeback of two rivals in his pursuit of the honorary title of vice-world champion. Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, respectively 33 and 45 points behind him, remain in ambush.
