Sergio Perez singles out ‘outstanding’ F1 rival for praise after Abu Dhabi GP

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Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez has hailed the performance of teammate Max Verstappen after his incredible 2023 Formula 1 campaign.

Perez was being interviewed after the final race of the season on Sky Sports F1.

Sergio Perez hasn’t had a straightforward campaign despite being in the fastest car on the grid.

He started the year fantastically, winning two of the first four races and looking like a real challenger to Max Verstappen.

Alongside a resurgent Fernando Alonso, it appeared as though there was a real race for the title on the cards.

However, Verstappen responded incredibly, winning in Miami and going on a 10-race winning streak until the Singapore Grand Prix.

Even if Perez had managed to finish second to Verstappen in each of those races, the 2023 title challenge would have been all but over.

Unfortunately, the Mexican’s form dipped, missing out on three podiums on the bounce in Monaco, Spain and Canada.

His performances in qualifying really suffered meaning he was always playing catch-up on race day.

His form picked up towards the end of the campaign, but by then he was fighting to fend off Lewis Hamilton rather than chase down his teammate.

Perez hails ‘outstanding’ Verstappen in 2023

Speaking about his teammate, Perez said: “We came back towards the end of the year. I think the last few races have been a lot stronger for us.

“And yeah, we have also got to give credit to Max [Verstappen], he’s done the best season in the history [of Formula 1] and he’s been outstanding. So yeah, great also for Max.”

Perez may be happy to praise Verstappen now but he’s only increased the pressure on the Mexican after their differing fortunes in 2023.

There has been plenty of talk about Perez potentially being replaced with Fernando Alonso and Daniel Ricciardo both linked with his seat.

Driving for Red Bull would be a dream for any driver right now considering how dominant the car is.

Perez will know he needs to perform better next year, especially with his contract set to expire next winter.

However, as so many other drivers have already experienced, being compared to Max Verstappen on a race-by-race basis is never easy to deal with.