Unstoppable Verstappen: Perez Admits His Teammate’s Dominance in F1's 2023 Campaign

• F1

Sergio Perez, Red Bull's seasoned driver, unflinchingly admitted that "there’s nothing to be taken away" from his teammate Max Verstappen, following the Dutchman’s impressive start to the 2023 Formula 1 season.

Verstappen's Stellar Performance

The latest achievement in Verstappen's spectacular string of successes occurred over the recent weekend in Belgium. Despite a pre-race setback—a gearbox penalty that knocked him down to sixth place on the grid—Verstappen fought back, clinching victory with a trademark display of talent and determination.

Meanwhile, Perez bounced back from a series of underwhelming races to land the second spot. This marked his best performance since the Miami Grand Prix, seven races prior. Commenting on his performance and that of his teammate, Perez said, "I mean, it’s a massive difference, that sort of race, you know.

You are just getting through overheating tyres, managing tyres and so on, so that worked a lot better today." He was quick to laud his teammate's drive and underscored the team's collective achievement. "Overall, I think it’s a great team result.

I think once Max came through, with his pace on that second stint, it was all about bringing it home with a good result for the team," Perez added.

The Driving Force Behind Verstappen's Success

Reflecting on Verstappen's run from the season opener in Bahrain to his latest victory in Belgium, Perez expressed awe at his teammate's consistent performance.

He continued, “There’s nothing to be taken away from Max, certainly. He did a tremendous race, and he’s done a tremendous season." Perez explained that the gap in performance seemed more prominent in the Belgium race because the team shifted focus to maintaining the achieved result once it was secure.

He confessed, "We were looking after the car at that point, making sure that we didn’t take too much out of it. That was pretty much the whole race." "But certainly he’s done a tremendous job, he’s very talented, around his team they’re getting the maximum out of the weekends, weekend after weekend, which is really impressive," said Perez, summing up his admiration for Verstappen's expertise and the remarkable effort of the Red Bull team.

This season has undeniably been a landmark for Verstappen, and his prowess continues to influence and drive his team to greater heights.