“He is a contender for the World Title,” Marc Surer backs Sergio Perez to challenge Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc

“He is a contender for the World Title,” Marc Surer backs Sergio Perez to challenge Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc

Marc Surer (Left) & Sergio Perez (Right)

Sergio Perez crossed the finish line in Monaco to score his third career victory, and his second victory with Red Bull after a race filled with many emotions. He became the first ever Mexican to win a race at Monaco, and his emotions sprang out on the podium with tears in his eyes as the Mexican anthem was played. 

This victory made Sergio Perez come closer to the two main championship contenders right now; his teammate Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc of Ferrari. This win came after a blunder from the Ferrari garage and their pit stop strategy. 

Watch: Behind the Charge | This is us, Sergio Perez wins the Monaco Grand Prix3

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Marc Surer, a former F1 driver, has talked about Sergio Perez’s possible World Championship. “If he [Perez] keeps doing this and scores points every time then that’s perfect,” he stated, as quoted by GPBlog. Although Perez is the second driver in Red Bull, his win in Monaco has brought him extremely close to Charles Leclerc in the table, and he might as well be a championship contender this year, if this continues to happen for the rest of the year. 

Also read: “We are still going to be in love,” Max Verstappen feels Sergio Perez and himself will remain on good terms even in a Championship Fight

“Max is still the number one driver,” Surer contradicts

Red Bull drivers Sergio Perez(on the left) and Max Verstappen(on the right) on the podium in the Monaco Grand Prix
Red Bull drivers Sergio Perez(on the left) and Max Verstappen(on the right) on the podium in the Monaco Grand Prix

At the same time as he said Perez could be a contender, Surer also said that looking at Max’s wins and strategies, he is still the number one driver in the team. And it is not uncommon for teams to prioritize their number 1 driver. 

“The other person scores well and that can make a big difference at the end of the year. At the end, it’s the DNFs that create problems because you miss 25 or 18 points each time. So yes, Perez is a contender for the world title,” Surer stated about Max losing out due to DNFs during the races, as we saw at the start of this year in Australia and Bahrain where Max was unable to finish. 

After completing almost 1/3rd of this year’s calendar, Max Verstappen is leading the championship with 125 points, ahead of Charles Leclerc with 116 points, and catching up on both is the Mexican with 110 points. 

Also read:  “He was faster than Max Verstappen,” Emerson Fittipaldi praises Sergio Perez for an utterly dominant display in Monaco

Also read: “Where was Max in that race?” : Peter Windsor can’t help but wonder where Max Verstappen was during the Monaco GP