“That's where Perez is wrong”: 4x F1 champion calls out Sergio Perez’s camp for ‘pointless and counterproductive’ claims

Four-time F1 champion Alain Prost believes Sergio Perez and his father are using 'counterproductive' methods of fighting with Max Verstappen. Perez's father recently compared his son's championship battle with Max Verstappen to that of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.

The Mexican driver began the season on a high note, securing remarkable victories in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan, which significantly bolstered his aspirations for the championship.

However, Checo's championship prospects have suffered a significant blow with an unfortunate scoreless performance in Monaco, followed by a disappointing weekend at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Heading into the Canadian Grand Prix, Sergio Perez finds himself trailing Verstappen by a margin of 53 points after completing just seven races.

Meanwhile, his father has been comparing his rivalry with Verstappen to that of Prost-Senna, with the four-time French world champion Prost believes is pointless. Addressing the situation, Alain Prost wrote in his column for L'Equipe:

"A driver's game is always to try and tip the balance in his favor, whether it's the set-up of the car or the contribution of the team. And that's where Perez is wrong. He needs to make Max Verstappen doubt him and change Red Bull's mind about him."

Prost added about Perez's father:

"His entourage isn't helping him either. When I read a month ago that his father told journalists that his fight with Max was similar to the one I had with Ayrton (Senna), it's pointless and counterproductive."

Sergio Perez backed by Helmut Marko despite slump in form

Sergio Perez has received support from Helmut Marko, the chief advisor at Red Bull, following a surprising dip in form over the last three races.

After his impressive victory in Baku, the Mexican driver had been riding a wave of confidence, even considering himself a potential championship contender for the season.

Unfortunately, Perez's momentum was halted in the subsequent race. Despite starting in P9 in Miami, Max Verstappen managed to overtake his teammate and secure the win.

The trend continued in Monaco, where Perez struggled and failed to score any points. Moreover, in Barcelona, another challenging weekend for Perez allowed Verstappen to secure an uncontested victory.

In a conversation with F1Insider, Helmut Marko discussed Perez and expressed optimism that things would improve. Marko also acknowledged the difficulty of competing against Verstappen, who is renowned for being a formidable competitor. He said:

“He should therefore concentrate on himself and not try desperately to beat Max. He should be there when things aren’t going optimally for Max. Sergio’s good race after the failed qualifying session in Barcelona was again the first step in the right direction.”

It will be interesting to see if Sergio Perez can redeem himself in Canada this coming weekend.