Max Verstappen sees his Formula 1 reign in jeopardy against Sergio Perezwhom he sees as his greatest rival today.
Although there are only two races left in the 2023 season, the Dutch driver expressed his concern towards his teammate in Red Bullsince they have the two fastest cars on the grid.
“I think that Czech is my only rival at the momentwe have the same car, so we can both improve,” he told Sky Italia at the end of the first day of practice at the Australian GP.
That yes, Verstappen ensures that the battle can change in the future: “This can change in the season, but he is the only one that right now can give me a hard time during the race“, he stressed.
Christian Horner on Checo’s dispute with Verstappen
Dutch words join the Christian Horner’s words during the Australian GPwho insisted that both Red Bull drivers will have the same tools to fight for the Formula 1 title.
“As a team, the best we can do is give them the same opportunity, but it’s not just about our two drivers.
Of course, the priority is the builders title and in the background that of pilots: “That is where the money is distributed within the sport. So we have two great athletes and I trust there is a healthy respect between the two.”
The first day of practice for the Australian GP came to an end, with Red Bull setting the pace in both sessions.
Max Verstappen was fastest in P1 setting a time of 1:18.790 seconds, 0.433 seconds faster than Lewis Hamilton, while Checo Pérez finished almost half a second behind.
Already for Practice 2, the rainy conditions complicated the session, so it would be unfair to point out if there was a clear dominance of any.