Sergio Perez has shared some words of praise for Max Verstappen, who he believes to be "one of the best in history" in Formula 1. Perez became the Dutchman's teammate at Red Bull in 2021, and is set to continue to drive alongside him until the end of 2024 after recently signing a contract extension with the team. Since racing with Verstappen, Perez has been left impressed by his abilities, which he thinks may partly be down to how he was taught from an early age by father Jos. "Max is very good, he is a very complete driver," Perez told Fox Sports Mexico . "I think he is without a doubt one of the best in the history of Formula 1, if not the best because of everything, because of how he has been educated from the beginning."
Perez highlights Verstappen's qualities as a driver
Perez believes that Verstappen's skills – and in particular his ability to push to the limit from the beginning of an F1 weekend to the end – make him unique as a driver. "He has skills that no other driver in Formula 1 has: the ability to be at the limit from Practice 1 to the end, no other driver in Formula 1 has, without a doubt," the Mexican continued. Despite this, Perez has found himself more closely able to challenge Verstappen in 2022 than in their first year as teammates, and currently sits P2 in the World Championship standings. "This year we are already very comparable," the Monaco Grand Prix winner said. "To be working as a team at that level is very good, but it is a level that demands a lot as a driver."
What can Red Bull achieve at Silverstone?
It was a weekend of mixed fortunes for Verstappen and Perez at the Canadian Grand Prix; while Verstappen started from pole position and claimed his sixth win of the season, Perez suffered a crash in qualifying and was then forced to retire from the race due to a gearbox problem. The next race of the season takes place at Silverstone, not too far away from Red Bull's Milton Keynes base. It is thought that both of the team's cars will have updates in time for the event, though Perez claims that they are not expecting radical changes from these. The three-time race winner feels confident that he and Verstappen are both aiming to develop the RB18 in the same direction. "Every weekend we are giving our feedback and generally we are going in the same direction, Max and I," Perez added. "So I think we are pushing in the same direction on the same things on the car."
Most read
