Red Bull F1’s Forgotten Man Sergio Perez Gives Up on 2022 Season: “The Championship is Practically That Max Verstappen Wins It”

There are still six races to go in the current campaign, but the season might already be over in terms of the championship. Max Verstappen is clearly leading the way with a 116-point gap to second-placed Charles Leclerc. However, there is plenty to play for the drivers in reach of the second birth in the championship.

Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez currently sits third with 210 points, nine behind Leclerc. However, Mercedes’s new man George Russell is on the Mexican’s tail with 203 points in the championship. Although if you are to believe everything Perez has to say, he’s not too bothered about the second spot.

“It is important for me to finish strong and competitive; win races. The championship is practically that Max wins it, so being second or third doesn’t matter to me,” he revealed to FOX Sports. [Translated using Google]

Perez also added, “In this final stretch of the season my goal is to win races and finish strong; so that in 2023 I can aspire to win again.”

Verstappen can clinch the championship as early as the next race at Marina Bay thanks to his incredible winning streak. However, Perez is being criticized for his sub-par performances according to Red Bull’s high standards. Although, the Mexican is not making excuses and promises to “keep working hard and I’m sure I’ll close the year well.” 

Read More: Perez Reveals One ‘Special Thing’ That Helps Max Verstappen Stand Out as the Best F1 Driver

Perez has been incredible in the current campaign. His performances even got him close to fighting for the championship at one point in the season before really Verstappen took off.

Although, the brief period where Perez was fighting for the championship gave him a sliver of hope for the next season.

Sergio Perez is ready to fight Max Verstappen for the crown next season

The current campaign will go down in history as a Max Verstappen masterclass. However, the period where Perez was just as competitive as Verstappen, gave him a desire for more.

Speaking about his ambitions for the next season, Perez revealed, “Yes, it has been an important year because the team has seen that I can be as competitive as Max. We are analyzing so that the two Red Bull drivers are fighting for the title in 2023.”

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With such strong claims from the Mexican, it’ll be interesting to see how Red Bull plays this out in the next season. Will they be fighting with each other? Or will Mercedes pull up their socks to get back in the running for the championship?