Sergio Perez wins over F1 fans as Mexican piles the pressure on Max Verstappen
Sergio Perez claimed his second Grand Prix triumph of the season in Baku.
Formula One fans believe Sergio Perez can take the fight to Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen by winning the World Drivers’ Championship. The Mexican has twice pipped his colleague to race wins this season and some supporters believe he can end Verstappen’s dominance of the sport.
Perez won in Saudi Arabia and at last weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. He and Verstappen now share two Grands Prix each.
The 33-year-old closed in on Verstappen in the World Drivers’ Championship leaderboard by winning in Baku. Perez’s 87 points mean he is now just six behind the Dutchman - and 27 ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.
And Express Sport readers have backed Perez to topple Verstappen’s dominance by winning the drivers’ title come the end of the season. In a poll of F1 fans, a majority surprisingly believe he can win the first championship of his career.
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Fifty-four per cent of voters insist that Perez can beat Verstappen to the world title. It proves he has finally won over fans after many believed that he was merely playing second-fiddle to the two-time champion.
Perez piled the pressure on Verstappen at the weekend. He claims he would not be competing if he did not believe he could win a world championship, saying: “I think, having three kids at home, I wouldn’t be travelling around the world if I didn’t believe that I can be a world champion. I’m working towards that, but obviously there is so much you can talk [about] outside the car, and I think it’s important to deliver on the track.
“I think without the issues we had in qualifying in Melbourne, we should be leading the championship, so definitely there is everything to believe we can do well this year.”
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He added: “I think, to be honest, it’s a great relationship between Max and myself. Although not many people believe [it], we are very similar. We have a life out of the sport and when we are home we pretty much disconnect from it.
“When we are on track, we come, try to do the best possible job, we try to beat each other… I’m sure Max will look at my data, I will look at his, and we’re just pushing each other massively. I think this year is about not making those mistakes.
“I’m fighting for it, you know. But I also know that it’s a long, massive road ahead. So I need to keep my head down and just keep delivering.”
