Sergio Perez believes the media’s reactions to his performances in 2023 are different compared to other F1 drivers.
Sergio Perez argues that – from his perspective – the media is harsher in its coverage of his performances than others in F1. After a largely difficult season, Perez seems convinced that driving at Red Bull warrants greater scrutiny than elsewhere.
This year’s campaign began in far more positive terms for Perez, who secured two wins in the first four rounds. Despite the well-established brilliance of Verstappen, the 33-year-old was soon discussed as a potential title contender. After all, it was soon clear that Red Bull was on track to dominate the 2023 season.
Not the Qualifying outcome we wanted, but the race weekend is far from over…
Provisionally the Bulls are in P11 and P13 for the #SingaporeGP 🇸🇬 pic.twitter.com/guM1v0uFRz
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) September 16, 2023
In many ways, these pre-mature discussions of championship contention worsened the difficulties Perez faced thereafter. A series of early eliminations in qualifying – alongside a substantial pace deficit to Verstappen in the race – soon put him well behind his teammate in the standings.
For some time, Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin was a genuine contender to finish 2023 as runner-up. In any case, the narrative surrounding the Mexican driver took something of a U-turn, with criticism mounting throughout the season.
Red Bull evaluates alternatives
The arrival of Daniel Ricciardo only intensified the pressure, with Red Bull evaluating other options for 2024 and beyond. Although Christian Horner insists that Perez will continue at the team next year – which seems highly plausible – his long-term prospects are not encouraging.
Ferrari, Mercedes and even McLaren could become legitimate challengers in the constructors next season. As a result, Red Bull is working to ensure their driver pairing will be sufficient to retain the F1 crown.
Elsewhere, on the grid, Liam Lawson is establishing himself as an F1-calibre driver and will likely earn a full-time F1 seat by 2025 at the latest. With Yuki Tsunoda also confirmed for next season, Red Bull has five drivers on their roster and only four seats.
Perez calls out double-standards
The lack of seats at Red Bull will create additional scrutiny for Perez, Ricciardo, Tsunoda and Lawson to contend with. However, speaking in a recent interview, the 6-time race winner explained that coverage of his performances is different to what other drivers receive:
“We saw it with Russell, in the last race [in Singapore]. He crashed on the last lap – and they don’t talk about it.
“[If] that happens at Red Bull, you have three hundred media saying they have to take you away from your seat.”
In Formula 1 (and most sports), those competing at the top receive the most criticism. Therefore, Perez is not incorrect in assessing that he faces more pressure to perform than other drivers. With that said – as outlined previously – Perez was also the recipient of huge praise when the year began.
There will be inevitable biases across media and their analysis, but typically speaking, the reactive nature of fans and outlets goes both ways. In the same way that Perez was arguably praised excessively when 2023 began, the responses to his latest results have been more negative.
Regardless of the outside noise, there are no doubts that Perez’s place at Red Bull is threatened. Alternatives are increasingly available, so the 33-year-old must prove that he can still contribute alongside Max Verstappen.
