"He won’t go down without a fight" - Sergio Perez receives Damon Hill's backing in his battle with Max Verstappen

Former F1 driver Damon Hill is confident that Sergio Perez will fight with his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen valiantly for the championship.

The Mexican won his fifth race at the 2023 Saudi Arabian GP by keeping Verstappen at bat. Alhough Red Bull might lean towards the Dutchman, as he's the future of the team, Checo will not go down without trying his best.

Speaking to Motorsport.com, Hill praised Perez for winning the Saudi Arabian GP. He also spoke about how Verstappen will put pressure on Red Bull to help him win the championship. However, Hill also believes that Checo will continue to fight for race wins and the championship. The former F1 driver said:

"Sergio fought hard to win in Saudi Arabia, and that’s another factor that could make things interesting. I think the problem is that Max is a force of nature, and within the team, it’s a question of how much pressure he can put on to make sure his championship aspirations are not hampered by Checo."

He added:

"From a sporting point of view, I think we need to give Checo every opportunity to fight on equal terms within the team. Because I know the pressure from Verstappen, with his father as well, will be intense on Red Bull. He will say: ‘I am your future, everything is built around me’, and he will take advantage of that. Checo knows what’s coming, but he won’t go down without a fight. It could be very interesting."

Even if Perez puts up a strong fight against the two-time world champion, Verstappen will not go down easily. Another major factor that will play a part is how team boss Christian Horner manages his two drivers.

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Sergio Perez addresses 'different information' given to him and Max Verstappen during 2023 Saudi Arabian GP

Although Red Bull had a perfect finish to the 2023 Saudi Arabian GP, there was tension brewing between Perez and Verstappen. Both wanted the fastest lap of the race and to score one extra point to lead the championship.

Red Bull strategists gave different information to both drivers, trying to maintain their respective position in the race despite a few reliability issues. After the race, Perez explained what was going on during the race and how he was unhappy with the difference in information provided to him and Verstappen:

"I asked two laps from the end when they told me to keep a certain pace. They told me I had the fastest lap and to keep the pace at a certain pace. I thought the communication was the same to Max. I think we need to review the different information, and I just couldn’t push then in the end."

Neither driver was happy to maintain different lap times. While Verstappen wanted to push and get the fastest lap, Checo did not want to push and finish the race by keeping the fastest lap.