It's a cliché that Max Verstappen easily beats all his teammates. Many have fallen victim to this, such as the promising Pierre Gasly or the equally talented Alexander Albon. Everyone except Sergio Perez has crumbled under the challenge.
Let's say that Perez doesn't achieve much by not being the best, because at most he gets a place on the "I'm always second" tram. True, others don't even get there. Despite this, Perez's situation is not easy, he has to fight hard for second place, which is often not an easy task as Max Verstappen's teammate.
"I don't want to speak for other drivers, but there are reasons why many others have not succeeded at Red Bull Racing in the past. Being Verstappen's teammate is an extraordinary challenge. It would be much easier for me to race on the other side, it would be easier to stand out, but I have no problem with that because it is a fantastic challenge to go to battle against the best. Max is the top of the profession, he has become sufficiently experienced and mature, he hardly makes mistakes. If you are constantly suffering, you can't find your rhythm, and there is a guy like Max Verstappen on the other side of the pit, then you can quickly find yourself in conflict with yourself.
"You start to get nervous, you keep looking at the car settings, when there might not be any particular problem. That's why you don't know, they can't beat him. So it's a difficult, stressful job mentally, you have to stay strong and collected in your head. At Red Bull you just can't let yourself get weak!" - wrote Perez honestly about his own situation.
