Checo Perez has already fulfilled the principle requirement for Pink Bull to maintain him on for another yr, at the least.
In 2022, he was pickpocketed in extremis by Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari driver completed second due to his 308 factors. He beat the Mexican by solely three factors.
It has been a special story in 2023, with absolutely the domination of the Milton Keynes-based crew, Sergio Perez has improved from the earlier season by mathematically sealing the runner-up spot with a podium end in Las Vegas.
Having secured second place within the drivers’ standings with one race to go is a reduction for the questionable Mexican competitor. It’s a credit score to Perez, because the Austrian crew has Daniel Ricciardo in its sights. In different phrases, the sword of Damocles hangs over the pinnacle of Perez and it’s well-known that racing with such stress is just not for the feint hearted.
Verstappen: Probably the most fearsome teammate
Be that as it might, Checo has had his work lower out. He has essentially the most fearsome teammate on the F1 grid. Max Verstappen has loved two years of brutal tyranny. Final yr he obtained 15 victories and in 2023 he has improved his document with 18 out of a doable 21.
Checo, junto a Verstappen, en el podio del penltimo gran premio de 2023.
In Abu Dhabi, the Dutchman can stand alone because the third driver with essentially the most victories in historical past. He would have 54 and solely Lewis Hamilton on 103 and Michael Schumacher on 91 have extra.
The very fact is that Perez is much from Max‘s stage, however at the least he managed to scrape two victories (Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan).
Ultimately, he has pocketed 273 factors and has been capable of stand up to the exterior stress (Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso have been pushing him) and the interior stress (darts have been thrown at him from inside his personal crew).
Checo Perez: The stress of being a Pink Bull man
After a hard-fought runner-up end, the 33-year-old gave a candid overview of the season on DAZN.
“It is positively been very robust, greater than the rest to remain targeted on what we needed to do. If you’re at Pink Bull there’s an excessive amount of exterior noise that typically makes it very troublesome to focus. There’s a media stress that no different crew has,” says Perez.
He continues: “Past that, our disaster was actual. I feel after Barcelona or in Barcelona I discovered myself with a automotive that was essentially the most dominant in historical past, however it was very troublesome to seek out the set-up, to have the ability to maximise it on the weekends, on the similar time the opposite groups had been bettering lots and the distrust was rising on our aspect. I feel the important thing to this season was that we stayed targeted on our work, on what we needed to change, and that helped the ultimate consequence.”
