The word "destroy" is used figuratively to describe the first order of business for a racing driver: Destroy your teammate first, then worry about the rest later. This Max Verstappen vs Sergio Perez post-season reflection piece is the first of a few on the subject.
Therein lies the irony of Formula 1 being a team sport. Indeed two very fast blokes race for a
team, with two cars (in some cases) built by a thousand-strong team
These drivers are wired to beat their teammates from the time they raced karts, when a father or mechanic chirps in a driver's ear before the start of a race: "Destroy your teammates Lad!"
Before the dust settles on a 2023 Formula 1 season, a year devoid of any serious Silly Season shenanigans as we experienced last year with the same 20 that started the season finale in Abu Dhabi, lining up on the grid, with the same teams, when it all kicks off again at the 2024 season opener in Bahrain, in early March.
The unusual continuity is also strange because there were some severely lopsided contests between teammates this year, with the World Champions lucky to have Max Verstappen leading the charge as Sergio Perez simply self-destructed early on in his campaign.
Perez talked up a title shot after stunning wins in Jeddah and Baku, but then it fell apart
After those two sensational wins, where in both instances he fought off a concerted charge from the #1 car, it was largely downhill for him. He lost momentum instantly. In stark contrast, teammate Verstappen just got better and better with every outing in the almost invincible RB19, as his 19 victories in 22 GPs testify.
Beating Max right now in the same F1 car (or any race car for that matter real or pixelated!) is almost impossible for any human, but beating him should not have been on Perez's agenda. In such a superior car, his duty was to be P2 every time Verstappen won. Instead, the Mexican veteran scored less than half the points his teammate did this year.
If Perez does not up his game from day one next year, it is not hard to imagine Daniel Ricciardo - who cannot wait to get in the car to prove he can do a better job against Max - getting the nod to return to the Red Bull senior team for a tryout.
This would mean Perez gets demoted to the 'RBR Juniors' for some Pierre Gasly-styled recovery and rehabilitation. Or quitting before his deal runs out at the end of next year, rather than face that humiliation. His only option is to get better, very fast and keep it consistent. And he knows it.
Despite RBR making a big deal about their F1 WDC one-two for the first time, in my book, this was the most glaring mismatch between teammates. I have to believe that the RB19 in more capable hands would've made Max work harder for his triple F1 crown than he did in 2023. Or the Dutchman is a friggin' alien!
2023 F1 WDC Tale of the Tape: Max Verstappen vs Sergio Perez
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