Valtteri Bottas offers advice to Sergio Perez in his quest to beat Max Verstappen for the title: “Try not to end up in…”

Valtteri Bottas advised Sergio Perez not to be very ambitious against his teammate Max Verstappen because of the sheer skills the Dutchman has on the track.

Valtteri Bottas, who now drives for Alfa Romeo, spent five seasons with Mercedes in the team's prime and was very much in the position where Sergio Perez currently is, racing as the second driver to a ruthless world champion. While this is only Perez's third season as Max Verstappen's teammate, the duo have had their share of heated moments during races for victories.

Analyzing the same, Bottas mentioned that it would be hard for Perez to battle alongside Verstappen, who is "incredibly hard to beat." He told RacingNews365:

"It won't be easy for him. He will want to win so badly, but he's in the same boat I was in at Mercedes. He's alongside someone who is incredibly hard to beat, someone who is super consistent and has a lot of talent."

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez are both brilliant drivers, however, it is quite apparent that the Dutchman has achieved a lot more than his teammate, which somewhat reflects and draws a contrast in both drivers' qualities.

There have been moments when Checo was asked to let his teammate overtake him for victory, which wasn't always accepted with pleasure by the Mexican, especially in the 2022 season. However, Bottas advised him to not try to over-achieve and "end up in a spiral":

"I would say 'try not to end up in a spiral of always wanting too much. Above all, keep believing in your own qualities and do your own thing."

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Bottas calls Sergio Perez's situation a 'mixed pleasure'

Red Bull was the first time Sergio Perez had the chance to step into a race-winning car in the long span of his Formula 1 career. With a machine so powerful, it makes it quite obvious that he has his aspirations to fulfill.

At the same time, however, as Bottas explained, it is important for Checo to outline his skills relative to his teammate. He called it a mixed pleasure as getting into the fastest car and not always having a chance to win is something that he has been through. Bottas said:

"That's a mixed pleasure, yes. Every time you get in the fastest car, you are a privileged human being. Every time you go out on track, you have a chance to get pole position or a chance to win the race, but everyone wants it."

Glancing at the current season, it looks in the hands of Red Bull but divided within their drivers as the first two races have gone by. While Max Verstappen emerged victorious in Bahrain, he failed to catch up to his teammate in Saudi Arabia and finished P2.