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Natalie Pinkham believes Max Verstappen's ability to perform under pressure and get the best out the car is what separates him from teammate Sergio Perez.
The 2023 F1 season started on an interesting note as Perez and Verstappen won two each of the first four races of the season. The Mexican driver even got the better of his Dutch counterpart in a straight fight in Baku.
However, two-time world champion Verstappen reinstated his dominance in Miami, starting the race from P9 and still grabbing the victory ahead of his teammate. The result was repeated in Monaco and Barcelona as Perez suffered a dip in his performances.
After the first seven races of the season, Sergio Perez trails Max Verstappen by 53 points in the drivers' championship.
Natalie Pinkham stated the positives for Perez, claiming that he is still in possession of the fastest car on the grid. She said on the F1 Nation podcast:
“He’s still in the best car, he’s still got the opportunity to gather a handful more wins, which is great for his career tally. He’d rather be there than out of the sport, which was the alternative for him a couple of years ago. I understand that he will be frustrated because he probably felt at certain points, particularly after notching up a couple of wins at the start of the season, that he was in with a chance of winning the championship."
Pinkham added that the difference between "good" and "great" drivers comes down to performing every weekend and snatching wins from the jaws of defeat, something that Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have done throughout their careers. She said:
“But you have to be delivering every time, not just when things fall in your favor. It feels to me that’s exactly what Max Verstappen does. He pulls victory from the jaws of defeat, not the other way around. He is able to deliver when the chips are down and pull through, like all the greats – Lewis Hamilton is always at his best when the pressure is really on and his back is against the wall. I think that’s what separates the good from the great drivers.”
Max Verstappen would have won the race from P11 in Barcelona, according to Natalie Pinkham
Drawing further comparisons between the two Red Bull drivers. Pinkham said that while Perez ended up finishing P4 in Barcelona after a P11 start, Verstappen would have won the race.
Perez finished behind the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell but according to Pinkham, Verstappen would have won the race in the same situation. She said:
“You do find yourself wondering, had that been Verstappen starting 11th, how high would he have got? I would certainly reckon he would have gone on to the podium, and I think he probably would have won the race actually in that car.”
Verstappen will be heading to Canada hoping to equal Ayrton Senna's record of 41 career wins and the Red Bull driver will be the favorite to accomplish the remarkable feat.
