SUMMARY
- Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez had a dynamic start, winning races and sparking a potential two-way battle.
- A slump post-Monaco, poor qualifying, and threats from Lewis Hamilton marked Perez's challenging season amid Red Bull's success.
The 2023 season kicked off with tremendous intensity with both Red Bull drivers, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez winning races. The Dutchman stole the fastest lap in Saudi Arabia, which threw Perez’s championship lead in jeopardy. With a mere six-point edge heading into the Miami Grand Prix, Verstappen was the subject of a potential two-way battle.
Perez bounced back with an impressive win in Saudi Arabia. Checo struggled with consistency, nonetheless, as seen by his outstanding victory in Azerbaijan and lackluster performance in Miami. Then onwards, the Mexican took a large step backward with his unsuccessful races. Primarily marred by poor qualifying sessions, Perez struggled to keep up with his teammate who went on to win his third title.
Max Verstappen slaps back at Perez’s performance in 2023
Although the Red Bull duo landed the top two spots in the drivers’ championship, their performance was incomparable. With five straight Grands Prix where he finished outside of Q3, Perez’s season took a turn for the worst after Monaco. The 33-year-old driver was threatened by Lewis Hamilton in the championship for the very same reasons.
Q: After four races, you and Checo had won two races each. It was even. From Miami onwards, you took off. Why is that?
Max: “You have to paint the whole picture. I had to start from 15th place in Saudi Arabia. I was slightly penalised by the safety car in Baku.”
“So from my… pic.twitter.com/RqKI9haSuB
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) January 3, 2024
When questioned about their akin start of the season, Verstappen gave a fitting reply. He said, “You have to paint the whole picture. I had to start from 15th place in Saudi Arabia. I was slightly penalized by the safety car in Baku. So from my perspective, it’s not entirely fair to talk about it being even…It was closer, but you have to take into account all the circumstances that led to it. That distorted the impression to some extent.”
As Perez approaches the final year of his Red Bull contract with the urgency to perform well, he finds himself in a moment of crisis.
Horner revealed the psychological blow Sergio Perez faced against Verstappen
Upon entering the 2023 season, the Mexican driver had a clear goal in his mind; to run for the championship title. But as the year progressed, Checo witnessed the face of failure. He was discouraged by the streak of average performances. The media too played a role in demotivating the driver further along with back-to-back criticisms within the Red Bull garage.
📰: Red Bull’s Christian Horner warns Sergio Perez of potential competition for his F1 seat in 2024, emphasizing the need for improved Saturday performances. Horner acknowledges Perez’s mental strength but highlights the importance of narrowing the qualifying gap to Max… pic.twitter.com/M958S0Js3U
— F1 Naija (@f1_naija) January 2, 2024
However, the controversial race in Miami came as a “psychological blow” according to the team principal, Christian Horner. According to the British group head, “The first four or five races he was very, very strong. And it was really after Miami that I think that was a big, psychological blow for him – losing that race.”
While Horner acknowledges the challenge of being Verstappen’s teammate, he also points out the significance of better outcomes to guarantee a deal that stretches beyond 2024. At the moment, Sergio Perez stands at risk of being replaced by Daniel Ricciardo who is on ‘top of the list’ for potential candidates.