Perez Realized He 'Cannot Beat' Verstappen Suggests Klien

Monday, 18 December 2023 at 17:00

Updated at Thursday, 21 December 2023 at 22:30

Former F1 driver Christian Klien shared his opinion on Sergio Perez's mindset during the 2023 season as he was constantly outperformed by his teammate Max Verstappen.

The Red Bull Racing team won 21 out of 22 races in the 2023 season, which highlights the dominance of the RB19 car. However, 19 out of those victories were achieved by Max Verstappen.

Sergio Perez struggled with his performances despite being sat in the fastest car on the grid. He was able to match the Dutchman's pace at the beginning of the season, but only until the Miami Grand Prix. Christian Klien told RacingNews365:

"I think Miami was already the turning point where [Perez] realised, 'OK the guy on the other side of the garage is really unbeatable.'"

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Ever since the race in Miami, Perez started struggling more and more, and he wouldn't recover until a few races before the end of the season.

In the end, Verstappen gapped his teammate by an insane 290 points. On the other hand, we know Perez is a very strong driver, so it seems unbelievable for the Mexican driver to get beaten by such an enormous margin.

"I think, mentally, that broke him a little bit. It took him a really, really long time, maybe until the last couple of races where he got back [on track]. He’s not a bad driver, and you cannot unlearn how to drive a car fast. But in the end, it’s a mental game."

The 33-year-old Red Bull driver recently stated his main target is to challenge the Dutchman for the title in 2024. But Klien thinks he must have realized his chances are not high.

I think he realized now that he’s at the end of his career. He’s in the best team, in the best car. He realizes 'I have a driver next to me that I probably cannot beat.'

On the other hand, driving for the fastest team on the grid can be good for the driver, even if he can't beat his teammate. Klien suggests the Mexican driver could enjoy his next season in Red Bull and not put too much pressure on himself even if he can't match the triple World Champion.

"[But he can] enjoy it, go for podiums and go for race wins. I think he was already thinking this way during the last races of 2023."