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Sergio Perez beat Max Verstappen at the 2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP in a straight battle to cut down his championship deficit to just six points. While many did not understand the gravity of the situation, what Perez did in Baku was not only impressive but surprising as well.
So much so that it has raised question marks over what led to him beating Max Verstappen at Baku and whether this could be the start (or the end) of something major.
Why what happened in Baku was significant
What happened in Baku was significant because this was the first time in their two-and-a-half-year partnership that Perez had outperformed his teammate and there were almost no asterisks attached to that result.
Yes, there have been races in the past where Perez has finished ahead of Verstappen, but more often than not there is a major asterisk attached to the result.
Be it the wins in Monaco and Singapore last season or the win in Baku in 2021, all of them had Verstappen running into car issues or something else that compromised his weekend.
This time around, that was not the case. The ease with which Perez was able to close the gap on Verstappen early in the first stint was a surprise, and so was the ability to fend off his teammate with consistent and fast lap times.
This is the first time it has happened in the last two-and-a-half years and that is what makes it significant. It is at this stage that we ask ourselves why all of a sudden, after almost 30 months of driving together, did Perez gain the ability to beat Verstappen.
In my view, one that stems from some of the observations made about Verstappen, the loss could be attributed to either
- A drop in hunger for Max
- an overtly distracted Baku weekend
- Sergio Perez making significant gains
It could either be any of these reasons individually or a combination of them. Let's explore them first to reach a more definite answer.
What led to Max Verstappen's first loss to Sergio Perez?
Lack of hunger
This is important and should be discussed because of one stark contrast between the mindset Max Verstappen has in his career compared to what the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, and Sebastian Vettel did when they first broke through in F1.
When Verstappen was first asked about his aspirations and the number of titles he wanted to win in 2021, the Red Bull driver said that he would feel his career would be fulfilled when he wins his first title.
He was happy to win the title once and be satisfied with it in his career. If you compare that with the mindset and approach the likes of Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, and Sebastian Vettel had in their careers, there is a stark difference.
All of them achieved their titles early in their careers but neither of them felt that one championship was enough. Each of them talked about legacy and looked at Michael Schumacher's record as one to emulate (Lewis even went on to beat it in so many ways).
For a driver who just wanted to win one title in his career and has gone on to win two already, does he feel he has already achieved what he wanted to in his career and does not have the hunger to push the same anymore? That is a very interesting question and could have certainly contributed to what happened in Baku.
Distractions in Baku
In the first two title battles that Max Verstappen was a part of, there was this constant focus on the title fight and his adversary.
In 2021, it was Lewis Hamilton. The entire focus was on the Mercedes driver while in 2022 it was Charles Leclerc. Verstappen knew who he was going up against. He respected them and considered them a threat. When it came to Perez, a driver who had been dominated by him for the last two-and-a-half years, Verstappen did not consider him a threat.
On the contrary, Max Verstappen's focus has been on stuff like the sprint race format and an unnecessary dual against George Russell. The amount of energy Verstappen devoted to criticizing the sprint format and then arguing with Russell meant that he was completely spent by the time we had the race on Sunday.
Max thought once he jumped Leclerc, he could go for the win unchallenged on Sunday, but when Perez unexpectedly challenged him, he did not have much left in the tank to fight back.
Could it be argued that if Max Verstappen was more focused on the task at hand, he would have been in a better position to fight Perez? Yes, that could be the case.
Sergio Perez's marked improvement
Another factor that cannot be ignored here is the fact that Sergio Perez has now spent more than two years driving Red Bull and has adapted to it. The driver has made major improvements over the years and could not be in a better position than this to fight Max Verstappen.
At the same time, though, I think it's better that we specify here that the improvements are not only limited to the street tracks. Sergio Perez has been closer to Max Verstappen in general throughout the season in all four races. There's also this factor that Perez knows, just like Nico Rosberg did against Lewis Hamilton from 2014-2016, that this is his best opportunity to win a world title and fulfill his dream.
He's going all-in with his preparations and leaving no stone unturned. Can we speculate that Sergio's improved form played a role as well? Sure, this could certainly have played a role in what happened in Baku.
Conclusion
Ultimately, it is fair to say that all these factors could have played a role in Max Verstappen losing out to Sergio Perez. Having said that, it's hard to be definitive about either one of them. Could there be a lack of hunger this season? Could it be the distractions in Baku? Or could it simply be Sergio Perez leveling up?
The answer to this will become clear as the season progresses, but for now, it will be interesting to see if we end up having a title battle between the two Red Bull drivers.
