Perez on Verstappen’s dominance: ’It hasn’t been easy for me’

Sergio Perez has conceded watching Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen dominate F1 this season hasn’t been an easy experience.

The Red Bull duo was tipped to go head-to-head for the title after both won two races each in the opening four rounds, but Perez’s form slipped away from the Monaco Grand Prix onwards while Verstappen dominated proceedings.

The Dutchman is currently just one victory away from matching the all-time F1 record of the most consecutive wins in the sport’s history, currently held by Sebastian Vettel and Alberto Ascari [excluding his Indy 500 absence] with nine.

Having started the year in strong fashion, Perez says Verstappen’s commanding lead en route to a third F1 title has been difficult to live through.

“It hasn't been easy for me, you know, because I know the car's potential,” he told media including RacingNews365.com.

“Max has been exploiting that. When you don't really have that feeling, but you know that your car has massive potential, it is not an easy situation for a driver to be in.

“But certainly we have got a great race car. And yet, we just have to make sure we utilise it. Because you never know when you're going to have a car that is as good as this one.”

Important to enter the summer break on a high

Perez’s slump in form included a disappointing stretch of five races in which he failed to advance into the final segment of qualifying.

But at the previous two rounds from Hungary and Belgium before the summer break, he had a more trouble-free run to score his first back-to-back podiums since Azerbaijan and Miami.

“It was quite important to finish strong, the last two races especially,” said Perez.

“There is no secret, as the car developed, I struggled a little bit more.

“Things were not coming naturally anymore. And I had to go very deep into my driving style, adapt to it quite a bit and change it because the car has seemed to change.

“And I think the last two races were affected in that regard.”