Since signing for Red Bull ahead of the 2021 season, Sergio Perez has had to settle for the wingman role, helping Max Verstappen to the championship rather than challenging him.
The Mexican did show signs of improving last season however, storming to wins in Monaco and Singapore while Verstappen struggled, earning him the nickname of King of the street circuits.
Speaking recently at Red Bull’s season launch event in New York, Perez has revealed that his is more confident than ever of matching Verstappen in 2023, having shown that he has the ability to win races last year.
“I was able to match him at the beginning of last season but then I had a very rough period during the middle of the season. So that will be the most important aspect of my season, to find that consistent level,” said the 33-year-old.
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“In a few races we took the wrong direction with the setup, so we had a rough period of races that put me out of contention. It’s important to not have days off in that regard, and to challenge for wins every weekend. It’s such a long year that it’s really important to take it one by one.”
Verstappen has been a lot less confident about his teammates ability to challenge him this season however, leaving him when listing the drivers that he believes can fight for this year’s championship.
The Dutchman was asked if he believes Lewis Hamilton still has the ability to fight for the championship, to which he replied with the names of multiple drivers capable of challenging him.
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“Of course he is. He’s been one of the greatest drivers ever in the sport so, for sure, if he has the car to do it then he can fight for the title again,” he said.
“That’s the same for George [Russell], Charles [Leclerc] and for Lando [Norris] – if you give them a car which is capable of winning a championship, they can.”
Red Bull’s chief advisor Helmut Marko has also been quick to shut down Perez’s title dreams, claiming that only Leclerc and Hamilton have the talent to be able to challenge Verstappen, such is the level of his talent.