Former F1 driver says Sergio Perez 'is a candidate for the World Championship' despite claiming Max Verstappen 'is still number one'

Former F1 driver Marc Surer strongly believes that Sergio Perez is a serious contender for this season's drivers' championship battle, despite Max Verstappen's lead in the standings.

The Mexican claimed his first race win of the season at the 2022 F1 Monaco Grand Prix last weekend. As reported by PlanetF1, Surer claimed that as long as Perez remains consistent, he could be in the fight for the title. He said:

“If he continues like this and scores points regularly, it’s absolutely possible. [But] if you add up the wins now, it’s quite clear Max [Verstappen] is still number one. [Perez] scores nicely and that can make a big difference at the end of the year. At the end of the day, it’s the ‘strike results’ that are the problem when you don’t finish and you lose 25 points or 18 points. So yes, Perez is a candidate for the World Championship.”

Speaking about the Mexican's newly renewed contract with Red Bull, he added, saying:

“They have everything with him they never had in the past. And if you have to have a number two, you have to reward him somehow – and a two-year contract is a reward for me.”

Sergio Perez currently stands third in the drivers' standings with a fifteen-point deficit against Max Verstappen.

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Red Bull open to both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez contending for 2022 title

Red Bull faced significant criticism for allegedly applying team orders at the 2022 F1 Spanish GP where Sergio Perez was ordered to hand the lead and eventually the win to Max Verstappen. Team boss Christian Horner has now confirmed that the team is open to both drivers battling it out for the championship title.

As reported by Motorsport Network, Horner said:

“It doesn’t matter to us which of the two is world champion, whether it’s Max [Verstappen] or Checo [Sergio Perez], they’re both Red Bull drivers, and they’ve both got the same chance. Of course, it’s a long, long season, and it will have its ebbs and flows. But it’s great to have both drivers right at the sharp end. Checo is doing a great job. And it’s not a one-off. I mean, we saw his pole position in Jeddah. And he’s really hitting a rich vein of form. So that’s fantastic for us. But we need both drivers working the way they are together.”

Red Bull is currently leading the constructors' standings with a total of 235 points after a dominant performance in the last 4 races.

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