Sergio Perez say Max Verstappen may already be greatest F1 driver of all time

Sergio Perez is full of praise for Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen (Photo by Paolo Pedicelli/ATPImages)

Sergio Perez believes that Red Bull team-mate and Formula 1 title rival Max Verstappen could already be the greatest driver of all-time.

The Mexican replaced Alex Albon in the second Red Bull seat in time for the 2021 season, and has spent the subsequent 18 months working alongside the Dutchman, who won his maiden world championship in last December’s controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after engaging in a thrilling year -long battle with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton.

Red Bull have built the most impressive car in 2022, with F1 having undergone its biggest regulation in a generation, meaning all ten teams had to redesign their machinery from scratch. The Milton Keynes-based squad have won six successive grands prix, their best run since Sebastian Vettel’s championship-laden spell with the team in the early 2010s, and their drivers occupy the top two spots in the drivers’ standings.

With Verstappen having won again in Canada last time out, Perez was quick to praise his colleague, and believes the 24-year-old should already be considered among the very best to have ever driven in F1.

‘Max is very good and he is a very complete driver,’ Perez said. ‘He is without a doubt one of the best in the history of Formula 1, if not the best, for everything, for his education and because he has things that other Formula 1 drivers do not have.

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‘The special thing about Max is the ease of going to the limit, Max goes to the limit from the first lap, every change he makes to the car is important and it’s not that he changes his conditioning style, he always goes to the limit .’

Verstappen extended his lead at the top of the championship to 46 points in Montréal, winning while Perez was forced to retire early on in the race due to a mechanical failure.

That means Verstappen is already almost two race victories ahead in the title race, and Perez says his side of the garage cannot afford another DNF.

Verstappen took an excellent victory in the Canadian Grand Prix. (Photo by Lars Baron – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

‘We can’t have another zero, we need to correct these problems and be perfect to get closer to the championship,’ Perez explained. ‘The championship is young and it can change in one or two weekends, we have to keep working and it is a point that will define the year, these zeros are very important at this point.’

The 2022 F1 campaign will continue with the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on the weekend of 1-3 July.

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