By Dylan Bettencourt
Sports Editor
Sergio Perez’s struggles at the recent Spanish Grand Prix have raised doubts about his place in the Red Bull team.
Perez had a disastrous Monaco Grand Prix and he followed that up with another setback in qualifying at Barcelona. He started 11th on the grid.
Although he managed to recover to finish fourth in the race, his failure to secure a podium position and being beaten by George Russell’s Mercedes have fuelled concerns about his form and mental state.
Just a couple of races ago, there were talks of a championship fight, but now people are questioning whether Perez can even complete the season in the same car as Max Verstappen.
Marc Priestley, a former McLaren mechanic and broadcaster, pointed out Perez’s qualifying mistakes and suggested that he might have lost confidence.
Priestley highlighted the psychological impact on Perez and expressed disappointment in his fourth-place finish, considering the immense potential of the Red Bull car.
BBC journalist Andrew Benson echoed the same sentiments, revealing that Mercedes entered the race with the belief that Perez was beatable for a podium spot based on his lack of pace compared to Verstappen.
Benson noted that Perez appeared mentally broken and lacked the necessary speed to compete with top-tier drivers.
He suggested that Perez had set unrealistic expectations for himself, as he couldn’t match the calibre of drivers like Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
Overall, Perez’s sub-par performance in the Spanish Grand Prix has cast doubt on his championship aspirations and his ability to match his teammate’s performance, as well as his confidence and mental resilience.
As the season progresses, it remains to be seen whether Perez can bounce back and prove his critics wrong.
Pictured above: Sergio Perez
Image source: Twitter
