Sergio Perez "let F1 fans down" by not challenging Max Verstappen for the championship, insists Nico Rosberg 

Former F1 world champion Nico Rosberg mentioned Sergio Perez let the 'F1 fans down' by not challenging Max Verstappen for the championship in the 2023 season and letting him dominate the sport.

The Mexican driver has had a tough time this season. He has not been able to sustain the challenge to his Red Bull teammate after making claims at the beginning of the season that he will be gunning for the world championship. Driving one of the most dominant cars in F1 history, Perez has only been able to win twice compared to Verstappen's 14.

While appearing on the Sky Sports podcast, Nico Rosberg claimed that he felt for Sergio Perez as he had the weight of the world on his shoulders due to everyone pushing him to challenge Max Verstappen. He said:

"I feel for him because it is such a horrible situation to be in with the pressure of the world on your shoulders. The social media world is criticizing him so much because all F1 fans are relying on him to keep things exciting and in a way, he let F1 fans down because he made it too easy for Verstappen."

"I was in that situation with Hamilton, I was carrying the expectation of everybody on my shoulders to keep it exciting and not let it become boring with Lewis Hamilton being so dominant. So it is really a tough situation for him, I can really relate - he is having such a difficult time," he added.

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Red Bull team boss defends Sergio Perez ahead of US GP

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner stated that he fully supports Sergio Perez during his struggle in 2023 and also pointed out that there are no such discussions of sacking him from the team at the end of the season.

Speaking with Daily Mirror, Horner said:

"It's a tough season and tough being Max's team-mate – we must not forget the challenge that is mentally. We know what Checo is capable of and we know that qualifying tends to be his weakness, but when racing, he comes alive on a Sunday afternoon."

"He's demonstrated that time and time again. We have six one-two finishes this year, he's won two Grands Prix and he's still second in the world championship 30 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton. It's not all been bad!" he added.

It will be fascinating to see how Sergio Perez performs in the final half of the season. We will also see if his seat is really in danger heading into the next season if he loses P2 in the Drivers' Championship.