17 January 2023 , 22:53
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Max Verstappen is a "problem" for Sergio Perez's chances of success at Red Bull, according to the Mexican's former manager.
Perez enjoyed his best ever season in Formula 1 last year, finishing third in the drivers' standings with a career best points total of 305. Still, though, the feeling persists that he has to do more to prove that he is the ideal partner to Verstappen at Red Bull.
The Dutchman won 15 races compared to the two victories taken by Perez, and scored 149 points more in the same machinery. Furthermore, their row after the Brazilian Grand Prix was a sign that not all appears to be well between them.
Perez continues to insist that he can compete for the title with Red Bull and will want to improve again this year. According to his former manager Adrian Fernandez, the step he will have to take to match his team-mate is a giant one.
"Checo is performing well. The problem is that Verstappen is driving next to him," he told the Dutch edition of Motorsport.com. "Checo is an excellent driver and now very experienced. But now he has to find out what Max does differently from him.
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"Max has of course been driving for Red Bull for some time and the team is built around him. Considering that, Checo is certainly not doing wrong and is probably doing exactly what the team wants him to do.
Perez's former manager Adrian Fernandez said Verstappen is "the calibre of Senna, Schumacher and Hamilton" (Getty Images)"But he will soon have to step up a gear. And I think he knows that too. Red Bull was very strong last year, but if the competition is closer next season, it will be even more important for the team to have two drivers at the front."
Not wanting to sound too harsh on his former client, Fernandez went on to point out that most drivers would do well to come even close to Verstappen. He added: "Max is just on a different level. He is of the calibre of Senna, Schumacher and Hamilton. I believe in Checo's abilities, but to get to that level, he will have to take a big step.
"Max is virtually untouchable at the moment. He hardly makes mistakes. And if something unexpectedly goes wrong, he still knows how to overcome that setback... when you have someone next to you who is as strong as Max and always fast like him from the first lap, it is quite intimidating."