Errors and mistakes but Perez is still the perfect teammate for Verstappen

Jul 23, 2023

Matt Gretton

Editor-in-Chief

Sergio Perez has just concluded a rough couple of weeks in Formula 1. He has been miles away from his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen, mainly down to two qualifying mistakes. One in Monaco and the other in Spain. But despite this and the growing suggestion that he's not good enough, Perez is still the perfect teammate for Verstappen.

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Perez left Azerbaijan with 33 points in his pocket and a small margin to Verstappen in the World Championship. By this point, it was already clear that the championship only had two contenders. And Checo became very clear about how he hoped to challenge Verstappen for the title.

The Dutchman opened the gap further in Miami, but a one-two finish ensured the gap remained relatively small. With the F1 circus heading to Monaco, a circuit favouring Perez, all eyes were on him to see what he could do. In the first qualifying session, Perez crumbled under the pressure and crashed, seemingly putting pay to his title hopes. The day got worse for Red Bull as photographs of the RB19's floor circulated throughout social media, and worse still: the paddock.

Perez hoped to catch up during the race, but it was another messy day. Overtaking is always challenging in Monaco, and the chances of a comeback are incredibly slim. Perez had to take risks, and these didn't pay off. Frankly, it made it worse, and he left with zero points. During the next meaningful session, Perez went over the gravel and got himself eliminated in Q2, whilst Verstappen stormed to pole position in arguably the most dominant weekend of his career.

As is usually the way in Formula 1: a couple of back-to-back mistakes, and there are people who jump on Perez's back. But despite these errors and mistakes, Perez is still the perfect teammate for Verstappen.

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Perez recovered from his P11 start and finished fourth. He took home 12 points and remained number two in the world championship. In fact, partly down to Fernando Alonso's weaker performance in Barcelona, if Perez had scored 0 points in the last two race weekends combined, he would’ve retained P2 in the Championship standings.

That last fact tells you all you need to know. Perez has produced great results and has, more often than not, maximised the car's performance on a Sunday. He has won two races and secured four podiums. When Verstappen didn't qualify at the front in Saudi Arabia, Perez did the job and won the race. Azerbaijan was a similar story.

Red Bull have a seriously healthy lead in the World Championship, though Verstappen's points total on his own gives him an 18-point advantage over both Mercedes drivers combined. Ultimately, what more do Red Bull want in a second driver? They have no reason to look elsewhere. The boxes are being ticked.

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The Mexican media have rallied around Perez over recent weeks, and in some ways, that's brilliant to see. That's one of the great things about Formula 1: it's global, and we all have different viewpoints. The Mexican media are right to focus on Perez as he is the only Mexican on the grid and races for the World Champions.

The ‘Esto’ is perhaps the most controversial. Recently they have been very vocal about how Red Bull Racing favours Verstappen over Perez. One quote reads: "Perez is the driver who has to fight in a car that does not suit him to stay competitive."

Christian Horner and the rest of the Red Bull team flat-out denied this. They have always said that a number one driver doesn't exist contractually, and it's all about who is ahead on the track at the time. That's always been the case from the early days, through Sebastian Vettel/Mark Webber and into the present day.

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But everyone knows Verstappen has that slight edge of favouritism within the Red Bull camp. However, you can't blame Red Bull for that. They’re not doing anything wrong. Verstappen is currently the best driver on the grid and is consistently better than Perez. If that is happening, of course, Red Bull will build the car around Verstappen. History has told us that's what happens, and it ultimately makes sense.

The only question that remains: what if Aston Martin, Ferrari and Mercedes close the gap? Will Perez still be scoring important points?

We’ve seen how sharply Verstappen can turn. If you upset him like Perez seemingly did at the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix, he will bite back [Brazil 2022]. Franky, you don't want that happening too often; otherwise, the team atmosphere will take a dive.

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And who else is there? Red Bull like to look within their own talent pool, which points directly towards Yuki Tsunoda. He's having a consistent season, which usually suggests he is getting the maximum out of the car. But there's no evidence to suggest he will do a better job than Perez.

Could Albon or Gasly make a comeback? Of course, they’re now more mature and experienced, but again, there's no evidence to suggest either would do a better job than Perez. Elsewhere, Lewis Hamilton will never want to join Red Bull, and Red Bull will never throw the chequebook at Hamilton. Charles Leclerc and George Russell won't fancy standing behind Verstappen's shadow.

That leaves Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris. Both seem well embedded into their current projects. They have the potential to outperform Perez, at least in qualifying. Perez's performance in the Grands Prix can match them both and is arguably better. But these are all things that Red Bull just don't need to worry about. Checo has it covered.

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