“Having three kids at home, I wouldn’t be traveling around the world if I didn’t believe that I can be a world champion,” Sergio Perez said after winning the Azerbaijan GP. Although Perez fully believes he can win the world title, many F1 pundits disapprove. After Perez’s’ ‘unacceptable’ crash in the recent Monaco GP, renowned racing veteran Kees van de Grint expressed strong criticism toward the Mexican, labeling him as just a ‘second driver’. “Perez is a good second driver and is nothing better than an Albon or Gasly,” he said. However, Perez still believes in his bid for the championship and states why it’s possible to beat Max Verstappen as he continues the 2023 campaign.

Perez entered the Monaco weekend just 14 points adrift of Verstappen in the drivers’ standings. However, he dented his own title hopes after crashing out of the 2023 F1 Monaco qualifying. Having started the race in P20 on the narrow Monegasque streets, the Red Bull driver struggled to make progress, ultimately finishing P16- two laps down on winner Verstappen. As a result, the 33-year-old driver was left out of points, further increasing the gap to 39 points. Clearly, the disparity in terms of the point delivered by the two Red Bull drivers after the main race has shaped the Championship fight. And for now, everything is going Verstappen’s way. However, the 33-year-old is not about to give up hope just yet.

Explaining why he still believes he can take his first world title in Formula 1 this year, the man from Guadalajara said, “The speed is there and that is the most important thing. If I had also been half a second to a full second behind after this crash, I would have been more worried. We have the speed to recover from this. I watch it from weekend to weekend. So next Sunday I have to show the best of myself and make sure I win. Max and I are evenly matched. Sometimes I’m better, sometimes a little worse. Max (Verstappen, ed.) is probably the toughest teammate you can have. He is the driver in form, but I firmly believe that I can beat him over a whole season” [translated via Google]

Read More: “Completely Failed”: Following His Monaco Blunder, Street Specialist Sergio Perez Given a Bitter Reminder of Its Consequences

However, after making a ‘stupid’ jab at Perez, Red Bull’s advisor hit back at Perez again.

Helmut Marko hits back at Sergio Perez: “Max has never seen Checo as…”

Sergio Perez came into the 2023 season brimming with confidence and talking about winning a world championship. After the first two rounds, Perez was a single point behind his teammate and had won the fifth F1 race of his career. Yet despite picking up another win in Baku, the wheels began to fall off the Mexican’s wagon from the Miami Grand Prix. After a humiliating defeat in Miami, the Mexican driver’s ‘stupid’ mistake in Monaco raised serious questions about his claims to challenge the reigning world champion. 

This time it was Red Bull’s advisor Helmut Marko who took aim at Perez after being lapped twice by Verstappen. However, Marko was too direct in his opinion, stating Perez was never a serious threat. “The fight for the World Championship has come to an end. The reality is that Max has never seen Checo as a threat,” Marko told OE24 Sport.

The F1’s European season has just eight races left to run, with a further eight coming on other continents, yet for the Red Bull advisor, it is already clear who will be the champion. Hitting back at critics who doubted the Dutch driver’s quality, Marko further added: “I compared Verstappen to Ayrton Senna a few years ago and they laughed at me, so the know-it-alls back then are slowly running out of arguments. Max has not only developed as a racing driver, but also as a great person. His incredible qualifying lap in Monaco on Saturday already brings him close to Senna, so Max is already the best in all conditions.”

Watch this story: “Will Daniel Ricciardo Get Swapped in for Sergio Perez at Red Bull?”

Max Verstappen is currently leading the championship standings with 144 points, while Sergio Perez is standing second with 105 points.