Why Perez’s F1 2023 struggles against Verstappen won't be easy to resolve
Sergio Perez started the 2023 Formula 1 season promisingly, but then everything went downhill. As his campaign dissolved in a slew of on-track blunders, speculation about his future naturally followed. Publicly at least, Red Bull is standing by its man, but as ALEX KALINAUCKAS writes, turning things around won't be straightforward
“At the moment, I’m feeling very comfortable with the car.” When Sergio Perez spoke those words he was sitting just one point off the 2023 Formula 1 standings lead. He’d just won in Jeddah, his first victory of what was a fresh season. Two races later, leaving Azerbaijan, he was still only six points adrift and had matched Max Verstappen at 2-2 in the grand prix victory stakes.
Come the campaign’s conclusion, Perez occupied the same spot in the standings. But the gap to his victorious team-mate was a Formula 1 record 290 points. Perez didn’t win again after Baku, while Verstappen racked up 17 more victories on his way to another record-setting season total. Perhaps more damningly, Verstappen’s solo points haul would have been enough for Red Bull to beat Mercedes to second in the constructors’ championship.
Share Or Save This Story
How the chief architect of McLaren's improvement plans to continue its rise
The Prost podium conundrum that Hamilton may face at Monza
Will Monza provide Piastri with another crunch moment on Italian soil?
Why it isn't only speed that enthuses Haas about Bearman
Why Haas is a crunch barometer of F1's biggest improvers in 2024
Why comparisons between Antonelli and Verstappen go beyond their driving talent
How Shadow's F1 story ended in shambolic fashion
How an unorthodox Monaco photography challenge yielded memorable results
WRC Acropolis: Neuville avoids drama to lead after brutal Saturday
Bagnaia "angry" after losing ground to Martin in MotoGP title fight
MotoGP actively seeking second US race but no plans for 2025
Mercedes duo puzzled as W15 got “almost slower” over Italian GP
How the chief architect of McLaren's improvement plans to continue its rise
Jon Noble: Why Ferrari could be a dark horse for the title – but we can't be sure until October
The Albon-matching elements of Colapinto's maiden F1 grand prix
The Schumacher/Alonso element Norris is missing that would help McLaren’s team orders headache
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
