The 2023 Formula 1 season starts this weekend with the Bahrain Grand Prix at the spectacular circuit of Sakhir. Red Bull are favorites to repeat as Constructors' champions, but teams such as Ferrari and Mercedes are ready to fight for the title in what should be a thrilling year.
Individually, the man to beat is Max Verstappen. The Dutch star pilot has won the last two World Drivers Championships and, in 2022, he had a spectacular season with a record breaking performance of 15 races won throughout the calendar. He is only 25-years old and the sky seems to be the limit for a future legend of the sport.
However, the 2022 season had a bittersweet ending for Red Bull. When Max Verstappen had already clinched the World Championship, Sergio Perez was fighting for second place with Charles Leclerc and didn't receive the needed help from his teammate. Now, Checo Perez has a strong warning toward 2023.
Checo Perez sends strong message to Max Verstappen for 2023 season
In the end, Charles Leclerc took away the second place in the World Championship from Sergio Perez and the Mexican pilot wasn't happy about it. The cracks at Red Bull were evident when Checo said loud and clear: "If Max won two championships, it's all thanks to me."
This year, Sergio Checo Perez definitely wants a fair shot at the title even though he knows Max Verstappen has the priority in the team. However, according to the words of Checo during an interview with Fox Sports Latin America, he won't play along this time around.
"It will all depend, but in the end the most important thing is to work as a team. Obviously, if I see that I don't receive the support when I need it, I won't give that support back. That's obvious, but I don't expect anything of that. The important thing is that we know this will be a very intense season. Probably six cars will fight for the championship. It's gonna be very important to work as a team in many races."
Sergio Perez also talked about his relationship with Max Verstappen and if the problems of 2022 are in the past. "We've already talked about it and we have a very transparent relationship. The truth is that with Max I've always had a great relationship since the beginning and, in the end, it's important to leave all that behind because we have to work as a team. The important thing is to support Red Bull."
In 2022, Sergio Perez had the best year of his career finishing third in the World Drivers Championship. He had two wins (Monaco and Singapore) and eleven podiums. Furthermore, thanks to his performances, Red Bull extended his contract for two years. The Mexican pilot was crucial for Red Bull to clinch the Constructors' Championship which Mercedes had won during eight consecutive seasons.