Sergio Perez is now on the winter break after an unfortunate season for him. Despite being in the fastest car on the grid, he only managed to claim the top step twice this season, apart from a mere handful of podiums. Naturally, his performances drew the attention of a lot of critics, with some demanding for him to be banished from the Red Bull second seat.

However, recently, the Mexican minister of defense found an unlikely ally in Valtteri Bottas. The former Mercedes driver is perhaps the single driver on the grid who can empathize with the Red Bull driver the most, having had a similarly dominant teammate in the form of Lewis Hamilton.

Valtteri Bottas empathizes with Sergio Perez

Valtteri Bottas is currently on a break after a fairly anonymous season at Alfa Romeo. Talking recently about his performances in Mercedes, he was talking about how he was living in “denial” thinking that he could ever be the world champion against Lewis Hamilton. Similarly, the Finnish driver feels that Sergio Perez is also facing a similar situation, as there is no world where Sergio Perez can beat Max Verstappen in equal machinery.

The statement rings true, especially after a rocky 2023 for Perez. In qualifying sessions, he consistently finished half a second behind Verstappen, while not managing many podiums during the 22-race season. As if things weren’t bad for Perez already, he is facing a threat to his seat at Red Bull in the form of Max Verstappen’s former teammate, Daniel Ricciardo.

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However, if one person on the entire grid understands what Sergio Perez is going through, it has to be Valtteri Bottas. For 5 seasons in a row, he was beaten quite convincingly by his teammate Lewis Hamilton. Many people, including the Finnish driver himself, think that we are seeing history repeat itself. However, instead of Hamilton and Bottas, it’s Verstappen and Perez this time around.

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These are not the only examples in recent times as well. The famous pairing of Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello also immediately comes to mind. However, what people fail to understand at the outset is the mentality of the second driver, and truly understand what’s going on in their mind.

Valtteri Bottas opens up about the tricky situation at Mercedes

Valtteri Bottas’ situation at Mercedes was well-documented. After the first couple of seasons, he was only presented with one-year deals, which hampered his ability to go for the championships, even if Lewis Hamilton was not the other driver.

“I have no regrets because it was a tricky situation for me because I was every year on a one-year contract. ” The Alfa Romeo driver added, “I knew that if I wanted to fight for the title, I needed to be buried in this team. If I started to be an arsehole, I would lose my job pretty easily. They could always get someone else.” He also admits that even if he had the security, he might not have won the championships, anyway. “You have to be in a state of denial. I was in denial for almost five years because every year I wanted to get back into the season and then fight for the title and I had to believe in myself,” Bottas stated.

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While it is unfortunate for him that he had to share machinery with one of the greatest drivers of all time, the way he felt was understandable. At the end of the day, he is also an intense competitor who is fighting for race wins week in and week out. Perhaps, in an alternate universe, this would have been an article on Valtteri Bottas, the world champion.