Max Verstappen failed to mention his team-mate Sergio Perez when reeling off a list of drivers he feels are capable of fighting for the Formula 1 title if given a competitive car.
Verstappen is gearing up for another season which begins in a few weeks – a second into which he comes as the defending champion. He romped to the 2022 title with nearest rival Charles Leclerc a whopping 146 points adrift by the end of the year, so dominant were the Dutchman and his Red Bull team.
The gap to team-mate Perez was 149, as he comfortably won that intra-team battle. His 15 race victories compared to the Mexican's two also demonstrated that there is a huge gap for Perez to close if he is to mount a serious title challenge to his colleague this year.
