Last 4-5 Years it Was Simply Two Classes in F1 – Perez

Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull have been at the forefront for the last three seasons. It was only in 2015, that Williams got a wheel in, preventing those three from locking out the top positions.

Since then, the gap between the big three teams and the rest of the F1 grid has increased in the last couple of seasons. Perez’s current team, Force India, finished a distant fourth in 2016 and 2017.

Perez is the only driver outside the top 3 teams to score a podium in the last three seasons. He says that F1 has changed significantly since 2012, when he scored three podiums for a Sauber team that was not even best of the rest.

“That is quite difficult,” he said. “The difference in budget these days, going into a new generation of cars, is tremendous.

“You cannot compete. The last four or five years it was simply two categories in Formula 1.

“I’ve never heard before, that people were talking about “yeah, I won the race”, when you are best of the rest, or ‘I’m leading the championship’ if you are best of the rest.

“That shouldn’t be the way. That is damaging the sport a lot.”

Even Haas driver Kevin Magnussen has created a ‘Class B’ title in his mind. This is because the midfield don’t have the pace to fight for outright honours.

Since 2016, the grand prix podium has included a non-Mercedes/Ferrari/Red Bull driver just five times.

Perez and Force India have claimed three of those podiums, Williams earned the other two. As of now, Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg leads the current ‘Class B’ fight. He has been best of the rest on four occasions this season.

Hulkenberg said, “The top six is the top six. They are out of reach.

“As a driver, even though you’re frustrated and disappointed, it is the way it is. Your ambition is each time you know to still get the best out of yourself, the car, beat your team-mate.

“You go for the next best thing.”