In 2023, it appears that there are only two drivers who are going to be fighting for the prestigious WDC trophy. Red Bull duo Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen find themselves in this advantageous situation. As things stand, Qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is going to be an important metric to determine who is going to come out on top in the early part of the season. But given the complex in-team politics of F1, how even is going to be this intra-team battle for the win?

Red Bull isn’t a stranger to the horrors of teammates colliding on the slippery streets of Baku. Yet, it would appear that the team isn’t that fussed about Checo and Verstappen going toe-to-toe. Verstappen is now a seasoned driver with 2 championships in the bag, while Perez is the wily old fox. Naturally, the team trusts the two to not misbehave. However, there are still a few house rules the duo will have to follow.

Christian Horner needs Perez to attack Max Verstappen

Red Bull is running away with the wins this season. That is the magnitude of their dominance over the other teams. However, team boss Christian Horner realizes that in time, the cost-cap penalty will kick in and they run the risk of losing out to the others.

This is why Horner was quoted by Sky Sports as saying, “The priority is to get as many points as possible. Let’s get the points on the board. The drivers are free to race as long as they do it properly.” [translated via Google Translate]

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But while Perez has looked threatening this season, can he upset the Dutch lion?

Sergio Perez’s biggest problem

Perez is one of those drivers that really deserve a championship. Be that as it may, unfortunately for him, he’s been given a chance to prove himself against a generational talent like Verstappen. Hence, he may be unbeatable on his day, over the course of a season Verstappen will always edge him out.

This was clarified by the hosts of the Late Braking F1 podcast. They said, “Sergio Perez will never be World Champion. He was really impressive in Saudi, holding off Verstappen. It was like Valtteri Bottas once again.” 

“Maybe we’ll have a championship fight here. Then he spins into the gravel in Australia and we’re like nevermind. I’m sure he cans till get some wins this year but I don’t think he will be there consistently enough for a championship fight. It’s sad.”

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Will Max Verstappen leave Sergio Perez eating his dust this season?