Perez was Underrated at Red Bull: Here’s Why
Sergio Perez faced ridicule throughout most of his tenure at Red Bull, particularly when Max Verstappen came perilously close to surpassing Michael Schumacher’s record for the most world championships won by a teammate. But with the Mexican returning to F1 soon, it’s time to reveal how great he really was at Red Bull.
And Here’s Why
Before he came to Red Bull, Perez had proven he was a driver of great talent. Before 2021, Perez had earned 10 podiums despite never being with a top team. He had secured all of Force India’s five podiums, and 2020 was the peak of his career.
He finished 4th in the standings in 2020, despite missing two races due to COVID, and secured his 9th career podium at Turkey before delivering a performance of a lifetime. At Sakhir, Perez had been involved in a crash at the start, sending him all the way to the back.
In a mid-pack car, this should’ve meant victory had become impossible. But Perez that night gave an impossible effort. He gave another master class in saving tires and in overtaking, fighting his way to the front. Their luck went his way when Russel had his pit road disaster, allowing Perez to earn, and I mean earn, his 1st career win and a Red Bull seat.
Perez’s Beginnings at Red Bull
Perez has been open about how coldly he was treated at the beginning of his time with the world champions. He even said he felt that the team only wanted one seat and treated him as an outsider. In 1 of F1’s most competitive seasons, Perez had his moments. Like his 2nd career win at Baku after Verstappen’s tire blew out, and Hamilton missed turn one on the restart.
Or his legendary duels with Hamilton, like helping his teammate Max win the title by holding off Hamilton for the sake of strategy. And when he outdueled Hamilton when he tried to send him to the pit lane, but held him off anyway. I’d be lying if I said he couldn’t do better, though. With fellow 2nd driver Bottas having 11 podiums to Perez’s 5, it’s something he would improve over the years.
Perez’s Peak From 2022 to 2023
Statistically, 2022 to 2023 was Perez’s best season in F1. With a pair of wins in both of those seasons, he earned 20 podiums in 44 races. Perez finished 3rd in points in 2022 and 2nd in points in 2023. He was king of the streets too during this time, with wins in Singapore, Saudi Arabia, and his 2nd career win in Azerbaijan, which made him the 1st driver to win multiple races at Baku.
And most notably, earning a win at the prestigious Monaco in 2022. But many would argue he should’ve done better. But may I remind you that F1 is a game of inches? Yes, Red Bull had the best car, but in 2023, the most significant gap between Leclerc and Verstappen in qualifying was 0.378 seconds. And in 2022, the most enormous qualifying gap between the 2 was 0.595. Never even a full second between 2 of the best qualifiers of the era.
Perez had to hold them off for 22 races a year. People’s expectations of second drivers are unusual because they want them to challenge them for the title, and anything else is considered a failure. But beating and being behind drivers like Leclerc, Russell, Hamilton, and Norris, even with a slightly better car, is impressive and shows he used all his hard work to improve, and he could hang with the best of the best.
Red Bull’s Second Seat Struggle
You didn’t think I’d forget the 2nd Red Bull seat tax, did you? Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon have both proven themselves to be great drivers with Williams and Alpine. However, their time at Red Bull did not reveal the talents they would later develop.
In 2021, Verstappen had a 2.0 average finish, while Perez had a 3.2. Compare that to 2019, when Verstappen averaged 3.5 and Gasly averaged 7.1, and then in 2020, Verstappen had 2.4, while Albon averaged 7.9. Showing that Perez, out of anyone, did the best job in that seat since Riccardo. Thanks a bunch for reading!
