“Sergio Perez seems hungrier than ever before,” Former F1 racer bets on the Mexican to dethrone Max Verstappen in 2023
Anthony Davidson thinks Sergio Perez might surpass Max Verstappen to win the F1 2023 Championship.
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In 2021, Max Verstappen had defied all odds and won the F1 World Championship against a rival who had already amassed seven World titles and was aiming for his eighth one. In 2022, the Dutchman was essentially the sole contender for the golden trophy since none of the other drivers could match his speed in their racecars. And thus, Max Verstappen had actually won the World Championship before the season even came to an end–but this year, it does not seem that Max’s quest for a title hattrick would be such a smooth-sailing one.
With four Grands Prix down, the points situation is such that Max Verstappen is currently leading the Drivers’ Standings with 93 points after the Azerbaijan GP. But owing to a resounding victory in Baku, Max’s own teammate Sergio Perez is currently breathing down his neck with 87 points to his name. This has started a massive discussion on whether Max will fail to earn his third World Championship this year, and if Sergio Perez will create history being the first Mexican on the title run
Having watched Sergio Perez’s brilliant run at the Azerbaijan GP, Anthony Davidson has concluded that the Mexican is eager to get his hands on the Championship. He said, “Pérez seems to be in the shape of his life. He really enjoys being able to put Verstappen under real pressure. He has the team and the car to do it this year. We see a different Pérez this year as he seems hungrier than ever before.“
Related: Aston Martin urges F1 to ‘keep its DNA’ amidst radical Baku race weekend changes
Anthony Davidson believes Max Verstappen needs to learn from Lewis Hamilton
SkySports commentator Anthony Davidson has some comments on Max Verstappen’s current position in F1. He had closely noticed the Dutchman’s reaction to his altercation with Mercedes’ George Russell at the Azerbaijan Sprint, and Davidson believes Max had no reason to be so aggressive.
According to Anthony Davidson, Verstappen has never before has to face a challenge from his own teammate because he has always gone up against rivals like Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc. Thus, Max needs to learn how to deal with a threat from his own squad. And who better to learn this from than Lewis Hamilton, who has battled Nico Rosberg from his own team throughout the 2014 and 2015 seasons, up until Nico finally won the title in 2016 and retired.
Anthony Davidson said, “When he [Max] had to fight against the superior Mercedes car, he took all the risks. He threw the car on the inside as that was his only chance to win the race. He still seems to do that. He can still get better at that and that’s quite scary for the competition, because he’s already so good. He has to learn from this and look at Lewis [Hamilton]. He sometimes gave up his position because he knew he had the car to win back this place. He needs to see the bigger picture.”
With Perez’s brilliant form and the gap between Max Verstappen and his Mexican teammate being of only 6 points, tensions are high in the F1 paddock as the Miami GP is round the corner. If Sergio Perez manages to win at this race, he will come to lead the Championship for the first time in his career. So, it remains to be seen what future holds for the two Red Bull racers as they gear up for a showdown in Florida.
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Riddhi Mondal
(1821 Articles Published)