“He feels that he no longer receives the same attention as before”: Checo Pérez and the big problem with Verstappen

In a championship in which he easily dominates and in which his victory is practically a given, Verstappen he is rarely seen excited. With a three-time championship in his sights and a team at his disposal, Max has developed the same emotion an ATM feels when dispensing money: none. However, there is a date that always provokes an unusual emotion in him: the Netherlands. Racing in front of his crowd, with the stands emanating columns of orange smoke, is the perfect occasion for the man who currently wins it all to feel a glimmer of humility. A bit of anxiety when running against his team, in the middle of a championship in which more and more people see him as a villain who numbs the category with his overwhelming dominance.

Before this restart of the season, several have set off the alarms about what the second half of the championship could bring. He has made no mistakes all year and his team looks like something out of a science fiction movie. They can win it all. Together with Mercedes, we work at each race to be ready in case something happens or goes wrong. We are prepared to take advantage of any opportunity, but we know that it depends more on him than on us.”he claimed lewis hamilton without hesitating in the run-up to the race at the Dutch circuit. He expressed it with confidence, backed by his titles and records, allowing her to admit that he isn’t up to it right now without losing his figurehead status.

While everyone is waiting for Max to repeat his performance from the first half of the season, there is also a group that is keeping an eye on the anticipated resurgence of Checo Perez. The Mexican driver has a contract until the end of 2024, and the Red Bull team left before the break to dispel rumors about the possibility of an early termination. “We have a contract. We are satisfied with Checo and he will be our driver next year. It’s always nice to have more options though, like Alpha Tauri and Toro Rosso. We are an elite team and we always evaluate pilots”said Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal.

In reality, beyond the respect for his contract, Pérez feels that he no longer receives the same attention as before. To a large extent, this is due to his public confrontation with Max and, above all, the poor ratings he has had in the first half of the season. Everyone on the grid knows that Red Bull has everything going for it to go 1-2 in every race this year, but due to Checo’s mistakes, the Mexican driver struggles on Saturdays and struggles on Sundays. For now, Verstappen is under contract until 2028, and it’s clear that whoever joins the team will take on a secondary role.

At the moment, the presence of the two Red Bulls at the Dutch Grand Prix arouses everyone’s interest. Max in front of his fans and Checo in front of the fans of a driver with whom he is clearly at odds. Faced with the possibility of a hostile reception by orange fans towards the Mexican, Pérez opts for humor. “Am I worried that Max’s fans won’t support me? Not at all. I am sure they will, as it will be difficult for them to distinguish on the track which Red Bull each driver belongs to.”, were the words with which Checo tried to calm expectations before Zandvoort. A quick and agile response, which seems to show better ability in front of the microphones than in the Saturday qualifying sessions.

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