Max Verstappen believes Sergio Perez is his “only rival” for the 2023 F1 World title

Max Verstappen claims that only his teammate can put real pressure on him for race wins.


Max Verstappen believes Sergio Perez is his “only rival” for the 2023 F1 World title

Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez

Max Verstappen is the favorite for the 2023 F1 season. The reigning world champion aims to get his third consecutive world title this season. Red Bull Racing is miles ahead of its rivals, with the team securing two 1-2 finishes in the first two races of the year. Verstappen recently admitted that only Sergio Perez is the only driver on the grid who can give the Dutchman a run for his money.

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The 25-year-old has acknowledged that only his teammate can truly put up a challenge for the race win at the Australian GP. Max Verstappen stated, “I think (Perez) is my only rival at the moment.”  The two-time world champion believed the two drivers would be on an equal footing this season as Red Bull continues to dominate the field. The Dutchman continued, “We have the same car, so we can both do better.”

Tensions have begun to surface at Red Bull Racing

Moreover, Max Verstappen mentioned the possibility of things changing in the latter half of the season as rivals try to close the gap with the Austrian team. He explained, “This might change during the season.” Although, the 25-year-old was adamant that only his teammate could really put pressure on him for the third round of the season. Verstappen concluded, “but he’s the only one who can give me a hard time during the race.”

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F1 grid is expecting a Red Bull showdown in 2023

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Both Red Bull drivers will go head-to-head for the championship

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez are presently the only drivers who have the chance of winning the 2023 F1 championship. However, the Dutchman is confident about his prospects this season. The 25-year-old had asserted on losing out on a potential victory at the Saudi Arabian GP due to reliability issues. Perez himself was unhappy as he lost out on the fastest lap to Verstappen during the race.

Sergio had claimed to get equal support from the Milton Keynes team for the title. Team Principal Christian Horner has emphasized that Red Bull will provide an equal opportunity to both its drivers. Although, cracks might start to appear in the latter half of the season, as Max Verstappen and Sergio battle it against one another throughout 2023.

Thus, Max Verstappen has accepted that he will face stiff competition from Perez this season. The 25-year-old will put everything into the title fight as the Dutchman tries to win a third world title. Similarly, Perez will give his best to claim his first F1 world championship. It will be interesting to see how things stand between these two drivers during the course of the 2023 season.

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