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Ever since Daniel Ricciardo's departure from Red Bull Racing in 2018, the team has struggled to find the right teammate for their star driver Max Verstappen.
Pierre Gasly had a short 12-race run with Red Bull in 2019 before moving back to the sister team, while Alex Albon was only able to secure a single podium as Verstappen's team-mate in 2020.
While Verstappen has gotten the better of title rival Lewis Hamilton on many occasions this year, Red Bull have stayed hot on Mercedes' heels in the constructor's standings, with some help from Sergio Perez.
As with Verstappen's previous team-mates, the Mexican also took some time to find his pace at Red Bull. He still struggles in qualifying, as shown by his failure to make it to Q3 at the Qatar Grand Prix.
However, Red Bull announced during the summer break that the driver nicknamed "Checo" would be staying on with the team for 2022. According to Auto Motor and Sport, the team believes that their confidence in him has been reflected in his performance during the second half of the 2021 season.
Here's what Red Bull team boss Christian Horner had to say about Checo's performance since the summer break:
"We sat down during the summer break and realized that we would get a better Checo if we gave him security. The second half of the season proves us right. Checo has become much better"
Perez's role in helping Max Verstappen in the title fight is absolutely critical. The Dutchman's consistency suggests the fate of the team's constructors standings lies in the hands of the Mexican, who will want to prove that Red Bull made the right choice by retaining him for next season.
"Max is the driver of the moment" - Checo on Max Verstappen
With eight points separating the two title contenders as we head to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, this is the closest that Max Verstappen has gotten to bagging the title.
And Sergio Perez is happy to play his part in taking his team back to the top. Here's what the Mexican told Canal Plus about his role in helping Max Verstappen, as reported by Planet F1:
"It’s part of the game. Max is the one fighting for the championship, and I have no problem helping him. Max is the driver of the moment – he’s very strong."
Over the remaining F1 races, the title battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis could hinge in no small part on the roles played by Sergio Perez and Valterri Bottas. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend is scheduled for December 3-5 at the brand new Jedda Corniche Circuit.
