Verstappen made me want to raise my level in F1

After moving from his long-term home at Racing Point, Perez struggled for much of the 2021 season to get the RB16B going.

A win in Baku in June was a big boost, and he finished four thirds on his way to fourth on the points table.

However, the new world champion Verstappen surpassed him by 395.5 points to 190.

In the Abu Dhabi final, Perez was able to play a minor role by holding up Lewis Hamilton so that Verstappen could close the gap to the Mercedes driver before stopping his tire.

A grateful Verstappen then called the Mexican “a legend” in a radio message on the pit wall.

“Very intense,” said Perez when he was asked by Autosport to summarize his season. “It was extremely intense. There was a lot of work behind the scenes, a lot of pressure.

“When you’re at Red Bull Racing there is a lot of pressure and everyone is watching what you are doing and you are obviously much more difficult for a Red Bull driver, which is very understandable.

“But it wasn’t easy, but it took me to another level and having Max as a teammate really takes you to new levels. At this point in my career I have a lot of fun, I am very happy and that is the most important thing. “

When asked to assess his teammate’s performance, Perez made it clear that Verstappen is strong in all areas.

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Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB16B

Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB16B

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

“He’s really good. He’s really one with the car. He’s very good in qualifying, he’s really good in the races, “added Perez.

“It is very complete, experienced. I mean, the season he played was legendary, really impressive and kudos to him. He’s really one with the car. “

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Perez admits that he will have to raise his level again in 2022, in particular that in 2021 he “only lacked consistency”.

“When you are not in position and so on … I think the most important thing I missed was the consistency of being consistently at 100% with the car,” said Perez.

“I have to improve my game for next year. And yes, hopefully we can all move forward. “

Perez said that Verstappen’s title win meant a lot to him: “To be honest, Max has been a great team-mate for me from day one and the team has been fantastic for me. And I was able to support my teammate.

“I am very happy for everyone. You know, it’s a shame in the end, we didn’t get the constructors, but I think it was just a couple of points in the end. And a bit of bad luck here and there. But I’m looking forward to next year. “

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