Sergio Perez comes to Max Verstappen’s defense over the Dutchman’s ‘bad loser’ image in F1

Sergio Perez opens up about Max Verstappen's attitude over a victory for the Mexican driver.

Sergio Perez comes to Max Verstappen’s defense over the Dutchman’s ‘bad loser’ image in F1

Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, image via Sky Sports

Max Verstappen is the reigning world champion in Formula 1. The Dutchman has achieved tremendous success in recent times with Red Bull. The 25-year–old broke the record for the most wins in a single season as he won 15 in 2022. However, Verstappen does not have the best reputation when he loses a race, as he is unhappy with anything other than P1. Sergio Perez has now defended his teammate over this issue.

The Mexican driver recently appeared in the Pardon My Take podcast and opened up about Verstappen’s behavior after losing a race. Perez stated, “He’s a good loser, I’ll say.” However, the 33-year-old was well aware of the Dutchman’s image in the F1 paddock. Subsequently, Checo highlighted the same to the listeners. He said, “He has a fame of [a] bad loser.”

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Moreover, Sergio Perez mentioned that whenever the Mexican driver won a race, Max was at the forefront to congratulate his teammate. Despite the two-time world champion facing defeat at the hands of the 33-year-old. So much so that Perez insisted that having such a teammate in F1 was far from the norm; usually, drivers follow the saying that a driver’s first opponent is their teammate.

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“I appreciate that,” Sergio Perez on Max Verstappen’s words after Checo wins a race

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Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen at the Miami GP, image via Daily Express

Additionally, Checo described the way Max Verstappen comes to support him after the Mexican driver wins a race. The 33-year-old believed that the Dutchman truly meant his words. Subsequently, Perez appreciates such words from his world champion teammate. He concluded, “He really comes, and you know, ‘well done mate’ and you can see that he feels it, and that’s… I appreciate that.”

Perez’s comments are a far cry from Max Verstappen’s perception in the paddock. Many have criticized how the Dutchman expresses his feelings after losing out to his teammate in his conversations with team boss Christian Horner. Although, it seems that Checo has made it clear that the 25-year-old does praise the results of the Mexican driver.

Thus, Max Verstappen does appreciate the performances of his teammate. The Dutchman aims to win every race to enhance his title lead further. However, F1 is a team sport; as such, Perez’s victories are positive for Verstappen’s team. However, the two-time world would, of course, prefer to be at the top step of the podium.

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