Sergio Perez ended his 2022 season with 305 points behind Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc . Though Red Bull have confirmed no change in driver line up for 2023 season , addition of Daniel Ricciardo as a reserve driver could play against Perez .
The relationship between Verstappen and Perez is mixed and amicable . There were incidents such as Jos Verstappen lashing out at Red Bull for prioritizing Perez and Max Verstappen refusing to let Perez pass him at the penultimate race of 2022 season.
Perez has already has his task cut out . He must up his game and show strong performances to be retained in the seat .
David Coulthard in a recent interview said, “For Checo to look at how many victories Max had and how many he had, it’s not like he is just having to polish a few corners. This is a major rewrite, a software update .
“If you use the same ingredients in the cake you will get the the same cake. You need to change it if you want something different.
“He has access to the data of the World Champion. He can see where he’s quicker, where he’s slower. Checo will be quicker in some areas. It’s just Max is putting it all together more often than not.
“All the knowledge is there for Checo to lift his performance. If he does then the World Championship is there for him to put his hand on.
“If he doesn’t, then he will be another driver, like myself, that won a few Grands Prix.”
Coulthard also added that Perez must defend his territory against Daniel Ricciardo . He said ,”Checo will see that there is a real substitute driver[Ricciardo] there .
“Having been in a similar situation to Sergio where I was up against Mika [Hakkinen] and Kimi [Raikkonen, at McLaren], you just have to leave no stone unturned.
“You do physical training but the only way he can improve his qualifying speed is in the car or in the simulator.
“In nine years at McLaren, I did every test and never missed a race, even when I felt terrible, even when I felt like I was going to be sick after testing, because I knew the minute I let the test driver get in the car it became an opportunity to show how good he was.
“If I don’t let him get in the car he can talk all day long. You have to defend your territory.”
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Peace ✌️
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