- The Mexican Formula 1 driver defeated teammate Max Verstappen in the Saudi Grand Prix and Azerbaijan Grand Prix
- This handed him two of the first four victory races of the 2023 season
- Perez didn’t live up to his reputation as a title challenger for too long
The hiring of a mental coach to help Red Bull driver Sergio Perez get through the lows and highs of F1 exposes the stress levels in this sport.
The Mexican Formula 1 driver defeated teammate Max Verstappen in the Saudi Grand Prix and Azerbaijan Grand Prix respectively.
This handed him two of the first four victory races of the 2023 season. These achievements raised expectations of an inter-team championship match and put additional pressure on him.
Sadly, Perez didn’t live up to his reputation as a title challenger for too long. Verstappen, Perez’s Dutch teammate, managed to pull off an incredible ten-race winning streak to essentially decide the title before the summer break thanks to a poor performance in Miami.
With the events of the season and ballooning pressure to win, he hasn’t been as happy at home as his wife and kids want him to be.
Sergio Perez. Photo Xavi Bonilla/DPPI Credit: DPPI Media/Alamy Live News
Yet, he cannot trade F1 for anything because it is his passion and a big part of his life.
“Formula One is my sport, my life, my passion. When you are having such a hard time at work, it is difficult to be cheerful at home with your wife and children,” he opens up to De Limburger.
He adds that at 33, all he wants is to be happy and fulfilled when doing what his heart loves most.
“So I hired a mental coach because my family deserves to have that cheerful father at home. Together with my coach, I worked on becoming the best version of myself at home, but also as a driver. As a result, I found positivity again.
“I am now 33 years old, but I am still learning every day. On the track, but certainly also off it. Partly because of this, I will never get tired of Formula 1. It is really great what this sport still gives me.”
Perez is second in the World Championship with six races left in the 2023 season. But he is 177 points behind Verstappen at the top of the standings.
Seven-time F1 World Champion, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, comes in third.
Sergio Perez with Max Verstappen. Photo/Sky Sports
The seven-time world champion, alongside Verstappen, stands out as one of the two drivers who have consistently earned points in every race of the season.
This impressive reliability has narrowed the gap between Hamilton and Perez to just 33 points as they approach the final leg of races.
Despite facing external pressures, Perez’s hopes that his newly hired mental coach will take him to a new place as far as his mental wellness is concerned.
Further, assurances from the Red Bull leadership that his seat remains secure until the end of his contract in 2024 are good news to his ears.
Perez holds the potential to rediscover his peak performance, both on the track and in his personal life.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login