Sergio Perez has claimed that ’90 per cent’ of Formula 1 drivers would struggle to stay afloat at Red Bull driving next to Max Verstappen as the under-pressure driver fights for his future with the team. The Mexican is halfway through his third campaign at Red Bull but faces the ignominy of losing his seat due to his poor form on the track, with Christian Horner potentially considering Daniel Ricciardo as a replacement for 2024.
Perez is the only driver other than Verstappen to have won a race this season, with victories in Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia suggesting he could challenge his team-mate for the title.
He has quickly dropped off the pace, however, and he has only managed to finish on the podium twice in his last six races, while Verstappen has won seven in a row to take a huge 110-point lead over his Red Bull team-mate in the Drivers’ Championship.
The 33-year-old has been plagued by inconsistent performances in qualifying, leaving him with a mountain to climb in Sunday’s race, although he did fight from ninth on the grid to claim third at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
But Perez appears to have accepted the writing may be on the wall for him, as the former McLaren and Racing Point driver opened up on how the pressure of racing with the two-time world champion has taken its toll on him.
“90 per cent of the drivers would sink next to Verstappen. If you are not mentally strong you cannot be at Red Bull,” Perez told Mundo Deportivo. “Here you should not underestimate the level of pressure you are under. Red Bull is a team where if you have a bad session, you already have five drivers in your sights. It is constant pressure from the press.
“In these three years, I have never seen this in any other team before. With Ferrari, Aston Martin, Mercedes, whatever team you name, all their drivers have had difficult moments, but nothing happens. It’s not like [that] at Red Bull, where you have a bad time and now you have to leave the team.”
The next races could determine his future at the team, even though Perez currently under contract until the end of the 2024 season. Christian Horner has also downplayed suggestions they could replace him mid-season despite his clear drop in performance.
However, the decision to sign Ricciardo as a reserve driver has put the Red Bull man’s performances under scrutiny – particularly after Nyck de Vries’ brutal sacking from AlphaTauri.
Verstappen has been less than sympathetic about Perez’s struggles with the team this season and even claimed that he could win the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships on his own if he has to.
“I don’t know why it went wrong today, but of course, with our car you have to get into Q3,” he said after Perez failed to make it into the shootout session at the British Grand Prix. “You have to ask Helmut [Marko] or Christian [Horner] about that. We are fighting for the team championship, but I think I can do that alone at the moment.”
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