Sergio Perez hopes to clinch second place in the world championship but can't rely on much help from Max Verstappen to do so. Verstappen may already be World Champion, but the Dutchman is still mainly focused on winning.
With a 209-point lead, Verstappen has already been crowned world champion in 2023. Red Bull Racing also have the Constructors title in the bag. The team will still want to win as many races as possible, but there is also one honour Red Bull has never achieved before: finishing first and second in the drivers' world championship.
Will Verstappen help Perez?
This is also an important objective for Perez. The Mexican himself considers it very important to finish second in the title race after failing to do so in 2022. In 2023, Red Bull has an even more dominant car, but Perez is far from certain of P3. Lewis Hamilton lurks in Perez's spot, only 30 points behind the Mexican.
For Perez, a lot depends on it. Rumours suggest that Red Bull has given Perez an ultimatum. If the 33-year-old driver does not achieve second place, he will have to leave. So there is a lot of pressure on the shoulders of Verstappen's teammate, but when the Dutchman is asked if he can and wants to help Perez, he gives the following answer:
"We just want to win as a team. Of course, we also want to finish second in the championship and of course you just try to do everything possible to achieve that. But at the end of the day, I can't decide things like that," Verstappen told Viaplay.