Sergio Perez accepts defeat to Max Verstappen, switches goals from vying for the Championship to ‘being runner-up’ in F1 2023

Sergio Perez will no longer try to fight with Max Verstappen for the 2023 F1 world title.

Sergio Perez accepts defeat to Max Verstappen, switches goals from vying for the Championship to ‘being runner-up’ in F1 2023

Sergio Perez (image via Formula1news.co.uk), Max Verstappen (image via The Sportrush)

Sergio Perez headed into the 2023 F1 season with the aim to fight for the world title against teammate Max Verstappen. Unfortunately, things have not gone as planned for the Mexican driver who trails behind his teammate by 99 points. Now, Perez has stated a new objective for the season with the 33-year-old giving up on his title ambitions.

The Mexican driver reaffirmed that he had given some good results this season including two victories. This has allowed Checo to remain second in the Drivers’ standings. However, Sergio Perez admitted that he would not be able to clinch the world title from Verstappen this season. As the Mexican now aims to come home with the runner-up trophy at the end of the season.

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Perez stated, “I’m not second in the world championship by a miracle. I’ve won two races and had some bad ones, but I’m still there. For now, I’m happy, I’m excited about the future, but my focus is on racing. My goal is to be runner-up in the championship this season.” The 33-year-old has been under pressure in recent races after a streak of early eliminations in Qualifying.

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Sergio Perez needs results to save F1 seat

Sergio Perez at the Austrian GP (image via Red Bull Racing)
Sergio Perez at the Austrian GP (image via Red Bull Racing)

Daniel Ricciardo will return to the F1 grid at the Hungarian GP as a shock replacement to ousted Nyck de Vries at Alpha Tauri. Many believe that this has opened the door for Ricciardo to potentially replace Perez at Red Bull if the Mexican driver fails to improve his performance. Checo has managed to bring in some good recovery drives so far but remains far behind his expected results.

The Mexican driver has failed to put a strong challenge to the two-time world champion in the last few rounds of the season. Despite winning two races at the start of the season, Sergio Perez has continued to struggle this year. As such, there is a lot of work left for Checo if he wants to continue racing for the Milton Keynes-based team in F1.

Thus, Sergio Perez has changed his goal for the 2023 season. The Mexican driver will no longer aim to win the world championship this season after failing to have an answer to Max Verstappen’s incredible performances. This could provide some breathing room for the 33-year-old as Checo tries to turn things around after a handful of dismal results.

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