P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Sergio Perez is clearly struggling at Red Bull – with his dive in form mirroring Valtteri Bottas’s 2018 campaign at Mercedes.
It was a pivotal moment for Max Verstappen in the 2023 Formula 1 season when he made a pass on Sergio Perez for the lead during the Miami Grand Prix. Despite starting from pole position, Perez finished second while Verstappen recovered from ninth and recorded his third win of the season. Perez’s failure to win in Miami was a significant setback, and since then, he has struggled and is in danger of losing second place in the Drivers’ Championship to Lewis Hamilton. Perez’s mid-season performance was difficult to watch, and he attributed it to the car’s upgrades not suiting his driving style. Realizing that his lifelong goal of becoming World Champion may not be achievable due to Verstappen’s dominance is a tough pill to swallow. This is similar to Valtteri Bottas’ experience in 2018 when he faced the reality that Hamilton was superior and had to settle for a supporting role within the Mercedes team. Bottas used the following winter to reset and came back stronger in 2019.
Source: RacingNews 365
