“Sergio Perez moved teams over the winter. Went to Red Bull. In his 6th race for his new team, Sergio Perez wins the Azerbaijan Grand Prix!” They say it never rains but it pours. Pretty much what Sergio Perez probably experienced with his F1 career in 2020. With his stint at Racing Point set to end, it looked all over for Checo in F1. But, a gritty unexpected maiden race win in Bahrain probably turned his fortunes. It was not going to be easy going up against Max Verstappen at Red Bull. Yet, Sergio has managed to score 3 race wins and multiple podiums in the last 2 years. Though, his father, Antonio Perez, thinks Checo ain’t done yet.

As per Esto.com.mx, Antonio told the Cancha MX portal how his son is yet to deliver the best he can. He stated, “We haven’t seen the best of Checo Pérez yet. This is an experience that is difficult to repeat for Mexico and we have to enjoy it. Surely with the passage of time, Mexico will have a Formula 1 champion on its hands.” [translated via Google]

Checo’s father is certainly aware of the recent civil war between his son and Max at the 2022 Brazilian GP. While he also knows how the Dutchman has been head and shoulders above the rest of the field, including Sergio.

Still, this is a thunderous 9-word warning to perhaps rattle Verstappen ahead of a big 2023 battle. Papa Perez is optimistic about Checo taking the fight to his Red Bull teammate and probably fighting for the championship.

Read More: Sergio Perez Pointed Toward Experienced No. 2 Driver in Battle With Max Verstappen

It may not be an easy task for sure for Perez. But, if he harbors championship ambitions, the Mexican needs to match Verstappen’s pace. Still, on the popularity scale, Checo can edge out Max, especially in America.

Is Sergio Perez slowly edging out Max Verstappen as the Popular driver in America?

Max Verstappen may be the world champion. But, in the last 2 years, Sergio Perez has also got an increased fan following, especially in Mexico and the US. Since his amazing 2020 season and the last 2 year’s top performances at Red Bull, Perez is quickly becoming a fan-favorite driver.

While there are critics of him not being able to match Max on raw pace, it does not matter to many fans. Whether he wins 2 races or 10 races in a season, the reception he got from fans at Miami and Austin last year was spectacular. Verstappen may have won 15 races in 2022, but fans have cherished Checo’s masterful wins on the streets of Monaco and Singapore.

Even at the Las Vegas GP launch party, when Checo accompanied Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, the reception he got was fantastic. It felt like after Hamilton, Perez is the probably most popular driver amongst American fans. The Mexican fans’ passion has been transferred to the US and Brazil as well.

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Of course, Perez may not suddenly win more races just because his likeability and popularity are increasing. But as Papa Perez said, Mexico will have an F1 champion sooner or later. Could it be soon enough for Sergio Perez to take that honor?