Although Red Bull has won the WCC and Max Verstappen has won the WDC, Sergio Perez has somewhat been struggling with his performance. Former racing driver Tom Coronel believes that this could be a good thing so they avoid what is happening at Mercedes happen to them.
In a recent interview, Tom Coronel thinks that Red Bull is better off without a driver who is equal to Max Verstappen.
āYou donāt have to be an expert to say that he is just making a serious mess of it. I also see that Red Bull is struggling with that, but if you put a good driver next to Max, you get two cocks. So the Russell-Hamilton effect.”
Most recently, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell came together during the start of the Qatar Grand Prix. While the Mercedes drivers started in a promising position, they faced an uphill battle after the accident. Lewis Hamilton had to retire from the race after a wheel flew off from his car. George Russell did not suffer much damage luckily, but had to fight his way from the back of the field.
Mayhem for Mercedes at the start šµ
Hamilton š„ Russell#F1 #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/FJuzC6c2KE
ā Formula 1 (@F1) October 8, 2023
Since Mercedes had 2 drivers who were more or less equal in terms of performance, the team was not able to prioritize one over the other. Before Russell, Bottas occupied the second seat at Mercedes. As he was nowhere close to Lewis Hamilton’s pace, Mercedes was able to order Bottas to let Hamilton through for the good of the race.
Let’s take a look at the scenario in Red Bull. Sergio Perez is not able to match the pace of Max Verstappen. This has put his seat in jeopardy according to the fans and the media. However, the fact that there is no competition between the 2 Red Bull drivers is probably good for the team. This allows fewer incidents between the 2 drivers. Red Bull can prioritize Max Verstappen as he is clearly the better driver this season.
Sergio Perez could’ve won the F1 title in this scenario
According to Chrisitan Horner, there is a scenario that could see Sergio Perez crowned as champion. However, this scenario is where there is no Max Verstappen on the F1 grid. When Horner if Red Bull could have still won the Championship if not for Max, he replied:
“He [Checo] is still second in the championship, and he has finished second to Max six times so far.”
In this scenario, Sergio Perez would be leading the Championship. However, he would not have secured it as Lewis Hamilton is not far behind the Mexican driver on points. In fact, Hamilton has been able to outscore Perez during the second half of the season.
How much harder would it have been without Max in the performances this year?
Christian Horner: He [Checo] is still second in the championship, and he has finished second to Max six times so far.
Source: @JOC__1991 | @PitDebrief pic.twitter.com/rxqavTfiEV
ā Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) September 26, 2023
Even McLaren has been putting up some impressive performances in the second half. They have been consistently fighting for podium finishes while Sergio Perez is struggling to finish in the points. This is an indication that the McLaren or Mercedes drivers could put up a fight with Sergio Perez for 2nd place in the Championship.
If Perez does finish P2 this year, it would be the first time Red Bull has accomplished a 1-2 finish in the WDC. Even if Perez comes 2nd this year, it is unlikely that he would be able to do the same next year based on the recent performances of McLaren and Mercedes.
Do you think Sergio Perez could have won the Championship if not for Max Verstappen? Post your answers in the comment section below.