Is there any more challenging position in Formula 1 currently then being Max Verstappen team mate? Whether Pierre Gasly, Alexander Albon or Perez himself, once the now-double world champion has built up momentum, it’s near-impossible for anyone opposite him in the garage to keep up.
Perez had spent all of 2021 insisting that he would be far closer to his team mate with the old new cars for 2022. And for the most part, he was right.
Immediately from the first weekend in Bahrain, Perez kept within touch of Verstappen, taking fourth on the grid behind the faster Ferraris. He had been on course for a podium to start the season after Verstappen’s retirement, only for his own car to seize on the final lap due to a fuel pump problem.
After licking their wounds, Red Bull struck back with a vengeance in Saudi Arabia. Perez secured pole position – his first, after 215 attempts – denying both Verstappen and the Ferrari pair the top spot on the grid. He held the lead at the start, led the early phase and only lost the lead of the race due to a Safety Car that came at such a bad moment it was as if Nicholas Latifi had timed his race ending crash just to spite him.
Red Bull had brought Perez on board to finally have a driver able to back up Verstappen when things don’t go his way. And when the world champion’s car let him down a second time in Melbourne, Perez was there to vacuum up the 18 points on behalf of his team. There was hardly a sweeter moment for Red Bull all season than Imola, where Perez pursued Charles Leclerc all race, then took advantage of his late spin to secure Red Bull’s first one-two of the season in Ferrari’s back garden.
Despite the season still being relatively young, Red Bull courted controversy in Barcelona after a rare Verstappen mistake saw him slide off the circuit, dropping him behind Perez. Just 19 points separated them in the standings, yet Red Bull told Perez to allow his team mate through not once, but twice. Verstappen’s pace did suggest he was the quicker driver, but the incident did little to convince cynics Red Bull effectively had ‘number one’ and ‘number two’ drivers.
However, in the days prior to the Monaco Grand Prix, Red Bull showed their appreciation for Perez by presenting him with a contract extension until 2024. As if eager to prove them right, Perez appeared to throw himself into championship contention by taking a vital victory in that…
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