Perez Pitied For Situation Of Being Verstappen's Teammate

Tuesday, 20 February 2024 at 09:15

F1 pundit Mark Gallagher described the pitiful position that Sergio Perez found himself in as Max Verstappen's teammate.

Sergio Perez started his career in 2011 at Sauber. In 2013, he went to McLaren, but after just one season, the Mexican driver switched teams again as he went to Force India, which was later rebranded to Racing Point (and even later bought out by Aston Martin that we know today).

The 34-year-old stayed with Force India and then Racing Point until the season 2021 when he finally got himself a seat in one of the top teams, Red Bull Racing.

Driving for one of the top teams is part of the dream of every single driver because otherwise, they don't really have a high chance of competing for the Championship title.

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In 2022 and 2023, Perez found himself in an even better position as Red Bull had the dominant car speed which no other team could match. However, Mark Gallagher believes he "genuinely struggles." He said on the Flat Chat podcast:

"It’s a pity that Sergio is in that position because I think he genuinely struggles with the fact that he got what he’s always wanted, he got to the top of the pile, he got into the World Championship-winning car, he got into the dominant machine, he got into the best team."

The problem, according to the pundit, is that the Mexican driver realized he had a teammate who was on a different level and couldn't be beaten.

"He’s earning good money. I mean, everything is there for him. And it’s that big moment when you suddenly discover there’s someone alongside you who’s just on a different level. And that’s tough."

One of the most common questions from the media to Perez is: "What are your ambitions for the next season/race?

After the 2023 season, the 34-year-old asserted his goal is to challenge his Dutch teammate for the title, But Gallagher doesn't believe that it is possible as long as Verstappen is his teammate. He added:

"And I think he’s done admirably well, I just wish that he didn’t feel the need to rise to the questions about is this going to be your year? It’s never going to be his year as long as he’s up against Max."