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Former F1 racer David Kennedy feels that the paper-thin gap between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez is similar to the Nico Rosberg-Lewis Hamilton battle at Mercedes. With Verstappen rising through the ranks and becoming the superior force in F1, his rise has coincided with his team's growing prominence as well.
This season, with Red Bull clearly being the fastest car on the grid, the only competition that Max Verstappen potentially has is his teammate Sergio Perez. Having said that, seven races into the season, the gap between the two drivers is already 53 points.
Even then, Kennedy feels that the rivalry reminds him of the one that Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton had at Mercedes. Talking to PlanetF1, he said:
“It’s a perfect parallel in that contrast with Rosberg and Hamilton. It was paper thin between them. Lady luck is always a player in these things and if you stay longer and burn the midnight oil, there’s just some little factor that might strike: ‘Ah, we can do a little bit better than what we’ve been doing’, and it can make the difference.”
He added:
“Even though it’s a whisker between them when you look at how the ball bounces – Verstappen touched the barrier in Monaco and that could have easily ended up with two wheels on your wagon – it is such a fine margin. Or have a big shunt in Canada and it knocks you sideways as well as the team and it takes a couple of races to get your rhythm back."
Sergio Perez could mount a challenge against Max Verstappen
Even though the gap between the two drivers is already 53 points, David Kennedy feels Sergio Perez could mount a challenge against Max Verstappen this season. He backed him to make the most of the best car he's had in his career.
"It’s still open for Perez to pull off that championship. He’s got to knuckle down and do more work and drive harder than Verstappen and I think he’ll stay the course. I think he’d be damaged goods if he steps away from Verstappen now, he’s got the chance to have the best car and probably have the best results he could ever have."
It is worth pointing out here that Max Verstappen has been dominant against teammate Sergio Perez in the last couple of years. Comparing this to the Rosberg-Hamilton partnership, it was still very close between those two drivers. This does make it hard to draw parallels between the two rivalries.
