Max Verstappen has given his assessment of why Sergio Perez's time as his teammate has so far been successful. The seat alongside Verstappen at Red Bull has been occupied by several different drivers in recent years. Following Daniel Ricciardo's exit at the end of 2018, Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon both had brief spells at the team, but struggled to match Verstappen's pace. Perez joined the squad for the 2021 campaign and, after being given a new one-year deal for 2022, was recently handed a further contract extension until the end of 2024.
Verstappen praises relationship with Perez
Verstappen enjoys an amiable relationship with Perez off track and, in terms of their on-track performance, both drivers have helped Red Bull to maintain the lead in the Constructors' Championship so far in 2022. When asked if he has seen qualities in Perez that he didn't witness in former teammates, Verstappen told media, including RacingNews365.com : "Every driver is different, of course, but I think what is important to the team is that both cars are scoring solid points, and that's what we're doing at the moment. "So I think it was quite a straightforward decision to give Checo another contract. And yeah, it's been really enjoyable working with him as well, like we have a good time on/off track. "That's also very important to a team, that there [are] no heated moments. Of course, we all try to win the race but, at the end of the day, also we try to win as a team and work together. "I think we've been doing that really well. That's why he is also staying."
Perez hasn't influenced how Verstappen works
With Perez having been on the F1 grid since 2011, Verstappen was not surprised to see him perform well at Red Bull. "I always knew he was very quick and stuff, so there was nothing really shocking or surprising to me. I knew what he could do," the Dutchman added. However, Verstappen has not used Perez's experience as something to learn from, having always preferred to work to his own methods. "I always work in my way since [my] second year in Red Bull," the 2021 World Champion explained. "I think I understood, of course, the way the team was working more and also myself, getting a lot more experience and that's what has been the case from the last few years. "I go off my own feeling and experience and together of course with my engineers."
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