Verstappen In Disadvantage Because He 'Can't Rely' On Perez Says Glock

Thursday, 17 October 2024 at 10:00

Former F1 driver Timo Glock suggested that Max Verstappen can't rely on Sergio Perez as he discussed the 2024 Drivers' and Consstructors' Championship.

With six Grand Prix weekends to go, Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen found himself in a high-pressure situation. With an underperforming car, he had to defend a title against Lando Norris, who is slowly closing the gap in the Championship.

While circumstances haven't yet been such that Oscar Piastri could help his teammate Lando Norris, he has the speed to be there, and McLaren asserted he will help the 24-year-old when the right opportunity presents itself.

While it might have been an advantage not to have a closely matched teammate under different circumstances, Timo Glock believes it is now the opposite for Verstappen. He told Web.de:

"McLaren clearly has the advantage because Piastri is always on the same level and he now has to support Norris from the team. With Perez, it's sometimes one way, sometimes the other. Verstappen can't rely on him."

In the last 12 Grand Prix races, Sergio Perez hasn't finished better than P7. On the contrary, Verstappen hasn't finished worse than P6 in the whole season, so the Mexican driver hasn't been there to help his teammate in the fight for podiums for a while now.

Coming into the 2024 United States Grand Prix, Max Verstappen's lead over Lando Norris is 52 points. The Dutchman can afford not to attend two Grand Prix races and still stay in the lead. However, it's. not as comfortable as it might seem, according to Glock.

"That sounds like a lot, but Verstappen knows that he can end up in the middle of nowhere with his car in qualifying. And then suddenly it's not such a huge lead anymore."

"And when you keep going into the weekend and aren't 100 percent sure where you are, how close you are, that's even more pressure and more tension. I expect it to stay exciting and close until the end."