Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez’s battle similar to iconic F1 rivalry between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, claims Antonio Perez

Sergio Perez's father, Antonio Perez, feels that the battle between his son and Max Verstappen as teammates is similar to what the sport previously witnessed with Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.

Back in 1988, Prost, who was already a double world champion at the time, suggested McLaren bring in Ayrton Senna. The duo then shared a brilliant battle as teammates the entire season, with Senna ultimately winning the championship.

The pair remained as McLaren teammates the following season as well, but it was Prost who won the championship this time around.

It is believed that Prost ultimately left McLaren for Ferrari in 1990 as Senna was favored by the British team, starting a fierce rivalry between the two constructors.

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, currently teammates at Red Bull, are sharing a similar battle this season. Since the team is dominating the races, it seems the championship battle could boil down to the two Red Bull drivers.

Antonio Perez said in this regard:

"You have to remember when McLaren had Senna and Prost. This is the same. Today we are living it again."

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Max Verstappen "has a lot of advantage" feels Perez Sr.

The 2022 season was a platform for Max Verstappen to showcase his skills as a driver. Although he had Charles Leclerc as his rival for the world championship, it was hard for Ferrari to catch up with Red Bull.

Verstappen showed complete domination, ultimately winning his second consecutive world championship after the Japanese Grand Prix.

Antonio Perez appreciated Verstappen's skills, saying:

"So [Verstappen] has a lot of advantage, but Checo can now go at Max's pace. I think there are only a few thousandths between them in Max's favor, but on difficult tracks, I see them very even."

This season, no one barring Sergio Perez has challenged Max Verstappen for the championship. While the double world champion won three out of the first five races, the rest two were won by his Red Bull teammate Perez.

Although Verstappen was able to easily overtake Perez in Miami for P1 even after starting P9, it was partly because the Dutchman was on the hard-medium strategy, which proved to be better.

There is currently a 14-point gap between the two Red Bull teammates, but analyzing how the season has panned out so far, it seems the championship battle is likely to intensify.