Perez concedes 2023 F1 title defeat to Verstappen

After claiming two victories from the first four races of the season, Perez sat within three points of Verstappen as he looked to mount a championship challenge.

But six consecutive victories for Verstappen, coupled with a run of difficult weekends for Perez, has effectively dashed the Mexican's hopes of winning a maiden world title this year.

Perez heads into this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix a whopping 99 points behind Verstappen.

He now has his sights firmly set on securing runner-up spot in the championship standings, which would mark his best-ever finish in F1.

"In Formula 1, only your position in Abu Dhabi matters,” Perez told Spanish outlet AS.

“But I am not second in the World Championship by a miracle, I have won races. I’ve had some bad races, but we have everything ahead of us.

“Target now? Undoubtedly the runner-up in the championship. But I’m only thinking about the Hungarian GP.

”Given Red Bull’s current advantage over the field, Perez will be expected to hold onto second place.But he faces competition from the chasing pack behind, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso just 19 points adrift in third.

Meanwhile, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, who sits fourth, trails Perez by 35 points.