Why Perez’s best race proved to be his F1 2023 downfall

OPINION: Sergio Perez began the 2023 Formula 1 season with two wins from the opening four races. But after the Mexican marked a high point of his campaign with victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Max Verstappen struck an immediate hammer blow before his dominating run to the title

Updated Oct 26, 2023, 1:28 PM

In sporting contests, the killer blow often comes when your opponent is on the ropes. Just as your rival’s hope of a turnaround begins to fade, there is no better time to go in for the kill.

So, when it comes to reflecting on the ebb and flow of the 2023 F1 season, and the killer punches dealt out by Max Verstappen to eradicate Sergio Perez’s threat for the title, what is interesting to note is that he turned the campaign into a one-man show by unleashing the biggest blow when his team-mate was at his absolute peak.

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Author Jonathan Noble

Jonathan Noble is Motorsport.com’s Formula 1 editor. Having graduated from University of Sussex Jonathan worked for sports news agency Collings Sports reporting on F1, F3, touring cars and other sports, with articles appearing in The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, Reuters, Autosport and other publications. In 1999 he moved to Haymarket Publishing to become a senior editor at Autosport Special Projects, and one year later he became Autosport’s grand prix editor. In 2015 he moved to Motorsport Network, becoming the F1 editor for Motorsport.com. He is also a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers, and sits on the FIA Media Council.