David Croft or ‘Crofty’ of Sky Sports has made a bold remark on Red Bull driver Sergio Perez, on his recent performance and the position he holds in the team. Croft draws a link between the present state of relations at Red Bull and the fruitful partnership of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello at Ferrari, arguing that Sergio Perez has to recognize his position as the alternative option for the team as a driver after Max Verstappen.
Croft commented, “I’m no psychologist, but I think if he returns after the summer break happy to accept that he’s playing second fiddle to Max, happy to accept that second is what Red Bull need him to do, happy to accept that’s a good place to be and better than 18 other drivers on the grid, Checo will be absolutely fine.”
Perez nearly established himself as a championship title candidate at the very beginning of the season. However, a series of setbacks led his prospects to shatter.
📰: Sergio Perez urged to embrace ‘Rubens’ role beside Max Verstappen at Red Bull. Croft and Chandhok emphasize Perez’s need to accept supporting role, draw parallels to Schumacher-Barrichello partnership. Perez’s success hinges on accepting team dynamics and dedicating more… pic.twitter.com/lnJpRM0RNl
— F1 Naija 🇳🇬 (@f1_naija) August 11, 2023
In contrast to ‘Checo’, Max Verstappen repeatedly secured victories and created a substantial advantage. Any chance at winning the championship had been destroyed even when he ultimately put up a solid performance in Hungary and Spa, scoring back-to-back podium spots.
No championship title for Sergio Perez
Red Bull’s advisor, Helmut Marko, acknowledged Perez’s comeback to his choice to give up on winning the World Championship and release himself from the pressure that came with it. This sentiment was echoed by Croft, stating that the Red Bull driver is most effective as long as he accepts Verstappen’s position as a teammate and acts well accordingly.
🥁 Drum roll please 🥁
Our winner of the @cryptocom Overtake of the Month Award for July is….Sergio Perez!
Vamos Checo 💪#F1 @SChecoPerez @redbullracing pic.twitter.com/IQI9rpNYro
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 7, 2023
The driver’s downfall was a critical moment at Miami when he was only six points behind Verstappen before crashing during Q1 at the following race in Monaco. Perez is currently running behind his teammate by a massive 125 points following the completion of the twelve races of the season. Right before his positive comeback as a star performer, he experienced a streak of lackluster performances which put his spot at Red Bull at risk.
The Mexican’s contract with the team is expected to terminate by the end of the following season which has made him distressed as he wishes to sign an extension as soon as possible. Regardless, Perez has made it crystal clear that he doesn’t intend to occupy the second spot for a long time. Might be eager to compete for victories in the latter half of the season, but as Helmut Marko noted, it seems that he has little prospect of winning the championship this year.
