Red Bull driver Max Verstappen was so firmly in control of his RB19 from the beginning of the season that he ‘broke’ Sergio Perez and ensured an easy ride to registering a third world championship, according to former F1 driver Christian Klien.
The race Klien was specifically referring to was the Miami GP, which was seen as the day that Perez could assert his aspirations of challenging for the championship.
Although Verstappen eventually went on a breathtaking run to claim the title with plenty of races to spare, Perez had started off the season with some commanding performances himself.
The Red Bull duo of Verstappen and Perez shared two wins a piece from the season’s first four races, but Checo still entered Miami trailing the Dutchman by six points owing to Perez’ P5 finish in Australia.
Although Perez started the Miami GP in pole position, Verstappen charged from ninth position in the grid to claim victory with a margin of over 5 seconds.
This completely busted any confidence Perez had in his own credentials, according to Klein, who believes the writing was on the wall from that day itself.
“It feels like pressure is not getting into [Verstappen’s] head at all,” Klien said.
“That was the difference to Checo. He had a very good start to the season and maybe he had in his mind, ‘Ok, maybe this year I can beat Max or at least [be] on the same level’.
“But I think Miami was already the turning point where he realised, ‘Ok the guy on the other side of the garage is really unbeatable’. I think, mentally, that broke him a little bit.
“It took him a really, really long time, maybe until the last couple of races where he got back [to his best]. He’s not a bad driver and you cannot unlearn how to drive a car fast. But in the end, it’s a mental game.”