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Imago

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Imago

Every driver enters Formula 1 with the belief they are the best and fastest driver in the world. No matter what team a driver drives for, they always carry this mentality. However, this exact mentality gives birth to one frustrating aspect, which is being a teammate of a world champion. We have heard many accounts of drivers who often suffer mentally after failing to match up to their world-champion teammates. This, according to Peter Windsor, is exactly the source of Sergio Perez’s frustration thanks to Max Verstappen which could explain his recent downfall.

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From securing two wins in the first four races to not making it to Q3 in the last three, Sergio Perez has fallen off the horse. This frustrating scenario, as Windsor detailed in his latest YouTube video, has become the reason behind Perez’s downfall. However, one can’t blame the Mexican to try to match up with his teammate. Although Windsor believes he is taking the wrong approach.

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“We’ve seen guys like Pérez and Sainz (at Toro Rosso) get mentally frustrated by how good Max was. Their logical conclusion is that they should brake later and accelerate faster,” says Windsor.

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He then explained where they were going wrong with the reference to the Canadian GP. “As soon as they do this, it turns out they’re wrong, and they go off the track in the first corner. Max’s speed was not in turn one, but between the first and second corner, that was the difference.”

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Read More: Sergio Perez Exposes a Major Chink in Red Bull’s Impenetrable Armor

Windsor explained exactly where the Mexican lost out in the race despite a superior car than the rest of the field. In fact, the race in Montreal went exactly as Perez predicted. However, the Mexican now needs to pull his weight in the coming races or he might face a brutal outcome.

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Will Sergio Perez suffer the same fate as Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon against Max Verstappen?

Max Verstappen is a consistency machine. This aspect of his racing often becomes a problem for his teammates, who can only try to be as close to him as they can. Once you can’t keep up with Verstappen in the same machinery, Red Bull often starts looking for replacements.

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We saw both Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon suffer the same fate. Perez has more often than not proved he is capable, but his frustrations in 2023 might be hampering his performance and he might eventually get buried down. Reputed journalist Martin Brundle is also of the same thought.

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“The perfect scenario for the team would be for Sergio [Perez] to finish very close to Max [Verstappen] in every race and win when Max can’t. The problem is, as Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon found out, good drivers get ‘buried’ by the speed of the Dutchman.”

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Getting the boot in the middle of the season will be a shameful end to his time with Red Bull, especially after all his contribution. But Formula 1 is a fast-moving sport with short-spanned memories. If you don’t perform, you suffer immediate consequences. Sadly, Perez is heading in that direction at the moment.

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WATCH THIS STORY: Will Daniel Ricciardo Get Swapped in for Sergio Perez at Red Bull? 

Pressure piles on when you consider Red Bull has a more than capable second driver in Daniel Ricciardo sitting on the sidelines ready to pounce. The Australian is eyeing a return and Perez will be doing him a huge favor. How likely do you see this scenario unfold?

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Written by

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Mahim Suhalka

2,204 Articles

Mahim is a senior Formula 1 writer at EssentiallySports. With a Diploma in Sports Management, he ventured into sports journalism for his sheer passion for F1. Mahim has written over 2000 articles during his tenure at ES, and his expertise is in perspective pieces and core sports coverage. Mahim’s writing flair and meticulous research work have resulted in him contributing to in-depth analysis on teams like Red Bull and Mercedes as well as Team Principals Christian Horner and Toto Wolff. His support for Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team and their #44 driver Lewis Hamilton came naturally after being awestruck by the brilliance during his foray into F1. You can follow him on X @MahimSuhalka.

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Varunkumaar Chelladurai

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