25 May 2023 , 05:00
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It's already abundantly clear that Sergio Perez is the only hope for Formula 1 fans desperate for some form of drivers' title battle this year.
Red Bull are well and truly in a league of their own right now. The gap will probably narrow as the season goes on – the runaway leaders are closer to the performance ceiling of their cars than others, and have that cost cap penalty hindering development – but it's hard to see anyone threatening their supremacy in the constructors' championship.
Many might say the same is true regarding Max Verstappen and his quest for more individual glory. He is the overwhelming favourite to make it three titles in a row this year and leads the standings after the first five races.
But the gap to second place in that particular leaderboard is not quite so pronounced. His Red Bull partner Perez has so far given a fairly convincing answer to many of us who have questioned whether he has what it takes to keep up with the flying Dutchman.
Verstappen is 14 points ahead with three race wins so far, but Perez has two victories of his own to show for his efforts. He still has plenty to prove – whether he can maintain a challenge over the course of a full season remains to be seen – but has done the most important thing so far. He has made sure he is still in the fight.
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However, last time out in Miami, he received a reminder of just how big the task is. On pole position while Verstappen started ninth, all the talk was about the Mexican having a golden opportunity to take the lead at the top of the standings.
Perez has a huge barrier to overcome to fulfil his title dreams (Getty Images)But it was the defending champion who stole the show. Perez is lionised for his ability to stave off degradation, but Verstappen was the tyre whisperer in Florida as he executed a perfect race strategy to make winning from ninth place on the grid look effortless. Pole-sitter Perez, powerless.
Johnny Herbert watched that unfold like the rest of us. His takeaway was that beating Verstappen on a level playing field is not possible for his team mate. And the former F1 driver encouraged Perez to take a leaf out of Nico Rosberg's book and employ every trick in the book, as the German did to get the better of Lewis Hamilton in 2016.
Herbert said: "You can't control that. If it's your only shot, you'll do anything to get that trophy on your mantlepiece. If you get thrown out at the end of that season, that trophy is on the mantlepiece."
Verstappen's Miami win showed the size of Perez's task (Hasan Bratic/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)And he's most likely correct. Verstappen has always had the talent but his rise to prominence came as he added more maturity to his racing. He is driving at the best level of his career and, if warnings from the likes of Christian Horner and Helmut Marko are to be heeded, could still have room for improvement.
In a fair fight, it's hard to see him losing to Perez. The 33-year-old insists he truly believes he is capable of it – and that attitude is healthy, even necessary, for someone with title ambitions – but his best chance of glory this season might be to put aside his pride and realise he need to take every opportunity he has.
As Herbert warned, rocking the boat at Red Bull could have consequences. By fighting dirty, Perez would risk his Red Bull seat and F1 career. But if he keeps it clean, that career will most likely end with his biggest ambition unfulfilled.