F1: McLaren CEO Zak Brown Blasts Sergio Perez, Says Max Verstappen is Only Reason for Red Bull Dominance

Sergio Perez - F1 Grand Prix of Belgium
(Photo : Dan Mullan/Getty Images) SPA, BELGIUM - Second placed Sergio Perez of Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing celebrates on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 30, 2023, in Spa, Belgium.

Red Bull's Sergio Perez's performances have been under massive scrutiny this year since he is currently driving the RB19, the fastest car in the grid, and is shaping up to be one of the greatest machinery in the sport's history.

McLaren Racing chief executive officer Zak Brown is the latest prominent figure to take a jab at the Mexican driver's performance this season.

The 51-year-old executive of the world-famous racing team claimed that the current championship battle would have been a classic one if Red Bull had two Sergio Perezes instead of having reigning champion Max Verstappen in the other car.

Brown noted that as much as Red Bull's killing everyone right now, the Dutchman is really doing most of the damage. He added that the Verstappen and Red Bull combination is just too unbeatable at the moment, and the two-time champion and the team are not making any mistakes.  

"If they had two Sergios in the car, with all due respect, this championship would kind of be wide open. So you've got something pretty special going on with Max and Red Bull," the McLaren CEO said. 

As the summer break commences, Red Bull has only been the winning team so far, sweeping all 12 races of the 2023 season. Verstappen is responsible for 10 of those, including the last eight in a row.

Meanwhile, Perez has claimed two wins this year, coming in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, two street circuits in the calendar during the early parts of the season.

Read more: Red Bull Racing to Downsize Junior Driver Roster as Part of Shift in Strategy  

Sergio Perez's performances under observation

The 33-year-old Mexican had a recent run of struggles in qualifying, but both Red Bull motorsports adviser Helmut Marko and team principal and CEO Christian Horner assured that his seat is safe until the end of his contract after the 2024 Formula 1 season.

Several other drivers have taken a dig at Perez by claiming they would be better than the Mexican if they were driving the dominant Red Bull RB19 car.

Alpine's Esteban Ocon mentioned last June that he sees himself fighting with Verstappen for the championship, unlike Perez, who is 125 points behind at second place to the Dutchman.

Meanwhile, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton also had his take regarding Perez a few weeks ago.

The Mercedes icon mentioned that the Dutchman would not be as dominant as he is now if he was driving the second Red Bull car.

The 38-year-old also lamented that it is impossible to beat Red Bull at the moment unless they don't finish because their car is eight-tenths to one second faster per lap than everybody else. 

The current Formula 1 season will resume on August 27 with the Dutch Grand Prix, the home race of Verstappen.

Related Article: AlphaTauri Could Use Dominant Sister Team's Red Bull RB19 Car Next Season

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