Max Verstappen defends sacked-Sergio Perez over ‘miserable failure’ of securing 2024 constructor’s title
The six-time Grand Prix winner Sergio Perez was sacked after the 2024 season following a mediocre campaign in the RB20.
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Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez (Via: Imago)
The Red Bull Formula 1 team shockingly missed out on the 2024 Constructor’s World Championship (third place). Max Verstappen did everything in his power but his teammate Sergio Perez, just wasn’t able to pull his weight in the fierce title fight.
Sergio Perez is no longer with the team following his sacking. While the dust around last year’s campaign has now settled, Max Verstappen has defended his former teammate. Moreover, the Dutchman came to the defense of Perez many times during the 2024 campaign as well.
The constructors was a miserable failure, but it’s not Perez’s fault. For us, of course, it was a miserable failure. On the one hand, it was obviously difficult for Checo, and I think it wasn’t always his fault. We also had a very difficult car at the time. I absolutely don’t want to criticize him, and I can clearly say that it wasn’t all his fault if things went so bad.
Max Verstappen via Formula Passion
The RB20 proved to be extremely inconsistent during the 2024 campaign. Verstappen was somehow able to get results in the challenger but it just wasn’t possible for Perez to do the same because of his rigid driving style. The Mexican was only able to amass 152 points in comparison to the Dutchman’s 437.
The RB20 was ‘not working’ in the 2024 F1 season
Max Verstappen jelled extremely well during his four years alongside Sergio Perez. With the latter no longer in the team, the former has further bashed the mediocre RB20 for causing problems in the 2024 campaign.
The biggest problem we had this season was that the machine wasn’t working. Obviously, I know Checo’s driving style. The car we had at one point was very difficult to drive. It was like that for me too, and that doesn’t help. We should have started working on it earlier, because that would have helped him a lot too.
Max Verstappen via the same interview
The 27-year-old will have a new teammate in the form of young gun Liam Lawson in the 2025 season. The New Zealander is coming into the Austrian team with a lot of hype around him.
However, keeping in view how difficult Perez found things to get to grips with the RB20, Lawson could face similar issues with the RB21. The 22-year-old might succumb to the pressure while facing the music alongside Verstappen.
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Rishabh Negi
(3244 Articles Published)