Sergio Perez started off the 2023 Formula 1 season in emphatic fashion. In the first 5 races, he had 2 pole positions, 2 victories, and 2 second-place finishes. He was keen on challenging Max Verstappen. The media was buzzing with Verstappen vs Perez. However, since the Miami GP, the second Red Bull driver has been no match for the world champion.
A Bright Start
Sergio Perez won 2 out of the first 4 races. After the Jeddah win, he posted a tweet with the caption “I want to be champion”. He quickly deleted the tweet but his intentions were clear. In a year of Red Bull domination, he wanted to give Max Verstappen a run for his money.
At Baku, he was seriously quick and challenged Max Verstappen. Then Formula 1 came to Miami, where he took his second pole of the year. Max Verstappen only qualified ninth. With the championship gap only 6 points, Verstappen vs Perez was seriously on.
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Back to Reality
Verstappen vs Perez may have lingered for a while longer, but it was definitely buried in Miami. Max Verstappen won the race from ninth position, overtaking Sergio Perez in a race without any stoppages. After that, Sergio Perez crashed during Q1 in Monaco. And since then, his form has nosedived.
Difficulty Adapting to upgraded RB19
Sergio Perez remarks how different the Red Bull car philosophy is from his former team Force India (Racing Point). He mentions how the car development hasn’t really suited him. He doesn’t feel as confident and needs to work harder to extract performance out of the car.
Sergio Perez admits he has been a step or two behind Max Verstappen. However, he is happy with his comeback in Hungary and Belgium after a run of bad weekends. He also mentions how the pressure this year was different. Verstappen vs Perez may have got to him more than it did to Max.
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He admits the Monaco crash derailed his confidence. And that snowballed into the terrible run that we all saw. Despite this poor run of form, he sits second in the drivers’ championship. Verstappen vs Perez may be dead now, but for the first 4 races of the season, it definitely was a reality.
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