After his great win at Monaco and news of a two-year contract extension, could Sergio Pérez become World Champion this season?
Perez began scoring points early in the season by finishing second at the Australian Grand Prix, while World Champion Max Verstappen had to retire his car due to engine issues. The last time Red Bull managed to secure a 1-2 finish was in 2016 at the Malaysian Grand Prix, where Daniel Ricciardo came first and Max Verstappen second. Fans also witnessed another 1-2 finish in Baku this season. a first for quite a few years.
The true icing on the cake for Sergio Pérez and Red Bull was this year's Monaco Grand Prix. The extreme wet and dry conditions in Monaco couldn’t stop the F1 driver from achieving his podium finish, the third in his career. Pérez has been consistent and reliable throughout the season and is the most successful Mexican driver of all time. Despite the team favouring Max Verstappen on several occasions, Sergio Pérez has continued to be a team player.
While Pérez himself believes he has a “good opportunity to win”, would Red Bull be in favour of prioritizing the driver ahead of his teammate and 2021 World Champion? As seen in Barcelona, Sergio Pérez was asked to move aside for Verstappen, despite the struggles Max was facing with his DRS and losing control of his car, which resulted in a spin early into the race. If it wasn’t for Leclerc’s engine failure, the results of the Spanish Grand Prix may have been very different, affecting the driver standings.
Will Red Bull continue to ask Pérez to support Verstappen throughout the season, despite Pérez being as competitive as Max? After the race in Hungary, there is only a 58-point difference between the two drivers.
Could Pérez fight his way across to the top despite the Red Bull Hierarchy?