Sergio Perez opens up about Max Verstappe pressure after making Fernando Alonso’s life “painful” at Mexican GP

For a driver to consistently excel in every race of the season, various factors come into play, including the quality of the team, mental toughness, adaptability, and physical fitness. These and many other factors collectively play a vital role in a driver’s performance.

Sergio Perez has been visibly struggling throughout the season to match his teammate Max Verstappen’s performance. However, the Mexican driver has been vocal about the challenges he’s been facing, including issues related to his mental health and recent difficulties encountered while at Red Bull.

Sergio Perez reflects on the challenges at Red Bull

Perez currently holds second place in the Drivers’ Standings; however, his position is under significant threat, with Hamilton trailing by just 20 points in his pursuit of the Mexican driver. In the early stages of 2023, Perez displayed an outstanding pace, securing two victories in the first four races. Unfortunately, his performance started to decline. Checo’s father credits Helmut Marko for his previous excellent performances.

Perez acknowledged that it hasn’t been easy to keep up with Verstappen’s performance, and due to the pressure he has been facing, he has recently struggled at Red Bull.

When asked if his struggles have had a serious impact on him, Perez told L’Equipe, “I’ve tried not to let that happen. But it’s not easy. I didn’t want my family to suffer, for example.

“But F1 is my life. It’s not just a job that you can leave at the door when you get home. F1 is my passion. So I’ve been working with a mental coach to try and get back to the best version of myself. My family don’t have to put up with a grumpy father or an angry husband.”

Alonso points to Perez’s crash for Mexico agony

Fernando Alonso was left disheartened at the Mexican GP, which was made worse by a withdrawal prompted by Sergio Perez’s crash in the first corner. It was another weekend of disappointment for the team as they continued to comprehend the latest package introduced at the United Grand Prix.

The team went through an additional wave of stress and worry when both Alonso and teammate Lance Stroll had to withdraw their AMR23s. Stroll’s retirement occurred just five laps from the checkered flag, leaving him at the bottom of the rankings among the 17 classified drivers.

On the other side, Alonso reflected on Perez’s collision with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc at Turn 1 which only compounded his exasperation due to his retirement after completing 47 laps.

When asked about the feedback of the race, Alonso replied, “A difficult weekend, a difficult race, I think we picked up damage underneath with some debris on lap one from Checo’s car, so even more painful with a slower car in the race.”

“We are in a situation we do not wish to be in. At the same time, we are working very hard to remedy the situation, trying to do as many tests as possible, and giving as much feedback as possible.”

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