Sergio Perez’s dad claims Red Bull’s car was ‘built for Max Verstappen’

Sergio perez has not been able to get to grips with Red Bulls RB19 during the 2023 F1 season.

Sergio Perez’s dad claims Red Bull’s car was ‘built for Max Verstappen’

Max Verstappen, Antonio Perez and Sergio Perez (Via IMAGO)

Sergio Perez, the Red Bull F1 driver, has been on a torrid run of form during the 2023 F1 season. He has struggled massively to cope with the might of Max Verstappen. Amidst his ever-deteriorating form, his dad, Antonio Perez, has claimed that the reason for his son’s struggles is that Red Bull’s car is set up around Verstappen.

The Dutchman has been in scintillating form for this year and has quite easily bashed all his competitors. None of the other teams, barring Red Bull, have got potent machinery this year, and because of this very reason, Sergio Perez has come under heavy criticism. Being the only guy with the same machinery as Verstappen, he has not been able to equal or surpass his teammate’s standards.

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However, despite the criticism, Antoni Perez strongly believes it is not his son’s fault. While talking about the same, he told Prmie F1 (Translated from Spanish using Google Translator), “Sergio Perez continues to struggle [with the car] in something that we have not detected. The car is set for Max [VIEW]. Max drives with all the grip in the front, and ‘Checo’ [has driven] all his life, and all the time he has done it with the grip in the back.”

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He added, “So today ‘Checo’ has to [adapt to] driving a car like Max doesn’t [need to]. The position ‘Checo’ Pérez is in is [the intention] for which he was hired: second place. There is only one place to be a champion. [‘Checo’] has to work; he has to earn it. This whole thing was built for Max to be there. When ‘Checo’ moved to tenth [place], for us, it was a pride that he won a point. Today ends in second place, and we get angry; we want it to be first.”

Discover: Helmut Marko insists Max Verstappen can only be matched by Lewis Hamilton in tire management

Sergio Perez has a contract at Red Bull until the end of 2024

While Antonio Perez has left no stone unturned in explaining how Sergio Perez has been at a disadvantage at Red Bull, the latter’s contract with the Milton-Keynes-based team will close at the end of the 2024 F1 season. Moreover, after that, there are no guarantees whether Horner and Co. would be willing to offer him a new contract or not.

Sergio Perez (Credits: Sky Sports)
Sergio Perez (Credits: Sky Sports)

For the 2025 seat at Red Bull, there are quite a few candidates, and during the course of next year, the situation around the second seat is going to keep on developing. Daniel Ricciardo is a prominent name with his eyes set on the 2025 seat, and considering the unpredictable nature of the sport, a few other names could also come to light next year.

The Red Bull F1 team has proved to be the top dog under the new regulations, and almost every driver on the current grid would love to have the opportunity to drive for the team. From Sergio Perez’s perspective, the 2024 F1 season holds a lot of significance for him; if he cannot perform as per expectations, he will most likely be shown the exit door ahead of 2025.

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