Sergio Perez believes his former team-mate Max Verstappen will finish the job and take the 2025 Formula 1 drivers’ championship this year, adding that the Red Bull star “deserves” it after his form so far this season.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 ahead of the Mexico Grand Prix, Perez praised the Dutchman after what were a tricky few seasons alongside him at the Milton Keynes outfit.
“I never expected that, you know?” he said after being asked about the four-time champion’s surge back into championship contention. “It was great to see. I mean, Max has been basically the action of the year. He’s keeping everyone watching Formula 1.
“Somehow, they managed to transform the season, and now with McLaren messing around I think he has a real chance of getting it done and I think he’s a driver that deserves the most this championship because he’s been driving phenomenally.”
When pressed as to whether he believes Verstappen could realistically win the championship, he confirmed: “I think so.”
This endorsement from Perez comes as Verstappen has pulled himself back into the fight after a dominant win at the United States Grand Prix, making it three wins from the last four grand prix weekends.
While he qualified badly in comparison at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, lining up fifth beside Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli on the grid, he is now just 40 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri ahead of the Mexico race.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
Perez knows Verstappen’s potential more than most, with him partnering with the driver at Red Bull from 2021 through 2024 before he was replaced by Liam Lawson for 2025. While his performance dwindled in his last year with the energy drink team, the two finished a dominant season in 2023, completing Red Bull’s first 1-2 in the drivers’ championship.
Now, he looks forward to joining the grid once again with the Cadillac F1 team.
“I’m very excited because I believe that I still have a lot to give to the sport. I’m very, very lucky with the career I’ve had, but I want to finish it on a high.
“I believe that the last year has been difficult in my career and I know how good I can be with the right environment around me, and I feel like people will be surprised on how competitive, how good I will be on my comeback and I have that motivation already with me.
“So yeah, I feel like I have this final point to prove in my career and make sure that I leave whenever I want to.”
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