Sergio Perez “mental shift” theory put forward: “He understands his position now”

Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok has suggested that Sergio Perez has finally accepted that he’s not at Red Bull to “win the world championship” alongside Max Verstappen.

Perez’s F1 future with Red Bull is a hot topic given his current deal runs out at the end of 2024.

Daniel Ricciardo is thought to be the number one candidate to replace Perez should the Australian perform with RB.

However, Perez kicked off 2024 strongly, finishing second behind Verstappen at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, while Ricciardo was out-performed by teammate Yuki Tsunoda.

After an impressive start to 2023, winning two of the opening four races, Perez vowed to challenge Verstappen for the world championship.

Perez’s form disappeared as the European leg of the season started, eventually finishing 275 points behind Verstappen.

Assessing Perez in 2024, Chandhok has questioned whether there “has been acceptance in his head over the winter” that he’s the number two driver at Red Bull.

“And that’s where I wonder if there has been acceptance in his head over the winter that actually I am not here to win the world championship I am not here to win races,” Chandhok said.

“I might win a few but that’s a bonus. I am here to finish second to Max Verstappen. I guess, if I keep doing that there will be the odd day where something doesn’t quite work and you get your win like he did last year.

“That’s a difficult mental shift to make but if he’s done that he will be in a happier place and a happier Checo will be a better Checo.”

Former W Series driver Naomi Schiff also gave her view on Perez following a pre-weekend interview with the Mexican.

Schiff felt that Perez “understands his position in the team now” and is at “peace” with the current situation.

“I felt that he was reasonably confident,” she explained. “The last part of last season was really tough. A lot of it by his own doing. The criticism around him, the scrutiny, the pressure, it just seemed to be quite bad. It feels like he has taken a step back since the winter to think about everything that happened, trying to understand how he can perform better.

“Being teammates with Max Verstappen is already proven for multiple drivers to be an incredibly difficult thing. How do you survive that pressure? It feels that he understands his position in the team now and put together some solid results.

“Being a team player in more than just the results way but to feed information into the team, move them forward. To me it felt like he’s at peace with his situation right now.”