“Messi or Ronaldo of Motorsport” Max Verstappen Makes Sergio Perez’s Life in F1 Miserable Despite No Evil Intentions

The 2020 Sakhir GP race win gave Sergio Perez a lifeline. However, little did the Mexican know, the dream move to Red Bull will be a poisoned chalice. Sure, Perez moved all the way to the top of the grid with one of the best teams on the grid. Although this is where Perez met Max Verstappen and began fighting for equal recognition. The Dutchman has outclassed his teammate every step of the way and became a world champion twice ahead of his teammate. This scenario, coupled with a few others, has provoked Perez to fight for the championship against his teammate. However, experts believe Perez is fighting against a generational talent.

Every sport comes across athletes that leave a lasting mark on their respective disciplines for generations to come. On the top of our heads, Messi and Ronaldo are a couple of athletes that fit that description. The two stars have dominated soccer for more than a decade. While speaking on Race Cafe as quoted by F1 Maximaal, experts compared Verstappen to the two soccer stars.

While Verschuur thinks that Sergio Perez is a good teammate, he doesn’t think that he can bring the competition to Max’s level. “A good second driver, a very good second driver,” said Verschuur. Although, he wonders. “He’s doing his best, but he can’t match Max’s level.”

“No, Pérez is not a bad driver, of course. No definitely not. Pérez is of course the second driver at Red Bull, but then he also has to deal with Max as the first driver. Verstappen is the Messi or Ronaldo of motorsport,” he concludes.

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This is not the first time they disregarded Perez when pitted against Verstappen.

A Dutch racer disregards as a winner Sergio Perez when pitted against Max Verstappen

The Mexican is an exceptional driver and there is no doubt about his quality behind the wheel. However, most experts, including Tom Coronel, believes Perez only has a chance of winning with Red Bull if Verstappen isn’t in the equation. The Dutch WTCC driver revealed his belief during a conversation on Viaplay.

“You only have the chance of pole if Verstappen drops out,” he said disregarding Perez’s pole in Saudi Arabia. “Last year he was also on pole. I don’t think he won it,” added Coronel. “Let’s be very realistic for a moment: it’s about race pace. You drive fifty laps and race pace is managing your tires and checking how you handle them. We know that Pérez is not the strongest in this.”

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Promotion to Red Bull was definitely a positive career step in Perez’s life. However, the Mexican did not know he stepping into a world of higher expectations and a battle with his teammate. So far Perez is not winning that battle, it will take a mammoth effort to change the tide. It will be interesting to see if Perez can do that in the 2023 season.