“The Man who was in last place at the end of Lap 1, comes home to win the Sakhir Grand Prix! Sergio Perez, Wow!” As the Mexican Minister of Defence completed the 33rd lap of his life, the iconic moments of his F1 career were all trending among fans. Sergio Perez may be feeling really great to revive his F1 career since the uncertain days of 2020. His exploits at Red Bull may not be absolutely top-class but have served the purpose. Checo has crucial contributions to making Max Verstappen a 2-time world champion and bringing glory to Milton Keynes. Though, after his 33rd birthday, Sergio looks to earn his share of glory as well.

Towards the end of 2022, things were not the best between him and Verstappen. The Brazil GP fiasco ruffled a few feathers in their dynamic. Perhaps, that is the motivation for redemption, but Perez has set a future timeline to beat Verstappen and become the world champion. He also expressed the same toward the end of last season.

According to the Mexican website Infobae, Perez said, “The objective is to improve what has been done this [2022] season and fight for the championship. That is my biggest dream in Formula 1 and that’s why I’m still here, I hope that in the next two years, I can become [a] champion. Verstappen is the best driver at the moment, but I know that I can close the gap between the two and fight for the title.” [translated via Google]

Checo definitely feels motivated to make a championship challenge, but it ain’t going to be easy. Tackling and fighting Verstappen over a season-long battle even broke down Lewis Hamilton in 2021. So, Perez would need immense psychological strength to thrive against his teammate.

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Looking at his 2022 season, there are a lot of things Perez needs to address. Be it qualifying pace, race pace, consistency, and avoidance of driving errors. Plus, he may not be the only challenger to Verstappen for the championship in 2023.

Has Sergio Perez got the ingredients to thrive in a title fight in 2023?

Sergio Perez has never been at the sharp end of the grid so frequently. 2021 was his first opportunity with Red Bull to get into race-winning machinery. While he has got multiple podiums and 3 race wins as well since then, Max Verstappen notched up 25 wins.

There has been a noticeable gap between Checo and Max in terms of raw pace. For now, Red Bull does not mind this gap as they have a clear priority about Verstappen being their #1 driver. So, Perez is the designated wingman, as things stand. If the Mexican driver wishes to step out of Max’s shadow, he needs to step up his game.

In 2022, Perez won the Monaco and Singapore GP. But, in these races, Verstappen was not able to compete for the win. In races like Baku and Belgium, the Dutchman easily went past Perez to claim the win. So, Sergio will have to improve his pace, be it in qualifying or race to withstand a chance against Verstappen for a title fight.

Besides, Perez will also have to tackle the other challengers for the world title. In 2023, Ferrari and Charles Leclerc are the prime candidates to be Max’s main challengers. Meanwhile, if Mercedes gain pace, Lewis Hamilton ain’t staying behind without a championship challenge. So, amidst these folks, Checo really needs to show his A-game.

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Realistically, it is unlikely Sergio Perez can sustain his title challenge till the final race of the season. But, given his years of racing wisdom, it is difficult completely rule his chances out. After all, on his day, Perez can surprisingly do well against the best of competition. Do you think, Checo can fulfill his dream of becoming a world champion in the next few years?