Sergio Perez feels no one can come and beat Max Verstappen straightaway

F1 Grand Prix of Mexico
Sergio Perez of Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing attends the press conference after the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on October 30, 2022 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

Sergio Perez believes Max Verstappen is driving at an extremely high level and it is not very easy to beat him. The Mexican driver felt that there was a lot to learn from the two-time world champion and his work with Red Bull.

Speaking after his home race in Mexico, the Red Bull driver said:

“Well it's a great challenge to be his teammate. Max is operating at a very high level from FP1 through the whole weekend, so just had a little learning and trying to beat him and trying to do the stuff he is doing. So it's obviously not an easy task. I don't believe there's anyone that can come and just beat him straightaway.”

Despite having the same car, Sergio Perez was unable to finish second behind his Dutch teammate in his home race. Instead, the Mexican struggled to perform similarly to his teammate and was slower than Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.

The Mexican driver believes it is challenging to be the Dutchman’s teammate given the latter's excellent performances. He revealed that he's learning a lot from his two-time world champion teammate.


Sergio Perez believes Red Bull’s race pace has improved significantly in 2022

Evaluating the 2022 season so far, Sergio Perez feels their race pace has improved compared to 2021. The Mexican driver also feels that the team has had an incredible year and is headed in the right direction in terms of car development.

Assessing Red Bull and his own season so far, the Mexican driver said:

“Well, I think the lesson from this year is that, you know, it's been a great year as a team. I do need to step up a bit my race pace, mainly.”

Due to Ferrari’s poor performance in Mexico, Sergio Perez has been able to overtake Charles Leclerc in the championship standings for second place. However, the two are split by only five points. With two races left on the calendar, the Red Bull driver’s battle with the Prancing Horse to seal second spot in the championship is likely to go down to the wire.

Quick Links

Edited by Nicolaas Ackermann