Perez backed to BEAT Verstappen at Monaco GP by F1 legend

Matthew Hobkinson
Monday 22 May 2023 08:49

Damon Hill has claimed that Sergio Perez has been “better than” Max Verstappen at street circuits this season ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix – giving the former F1 champion reason to believe the Mexican can win this weekend.

Perez and Verstappen are currently battling it out at the top of the drivers’ standings in what is proving to be an uncatchable RB19 car.

The Red Bull duo have won all five races this season with Verstappen just edging it 3-2 in his favour. Imola’s cancellation now sees the drivers head to Monaco and its iconic narrow streets.

This is something that Hill believes could see Perez catch Verstappen up in the standings and make it three wins a piece on a track that favours the Mexican.

“In Miami, we saw that Max is really on a different level. Not only compared to Sergio, but compared to the entire grid,” Hill told the F1 Nation podcast.

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“At circuits like Baku and Jeddah you could see how good Sergio was. I even think he was better than Max there.”

Perez currently finds himself 14 points behind Verstappen after five races and although Christian Horner will be delighted at the dominance of his team, he will be hoping that the pair leave each other plenty of room on a track that is notoriously difficult for overtaking.

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