"Obviously the benchmark is always your teammate," Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said in Abu Dhabi. "And the car has won nine races with Max [Verstappen] at the wheel." This comment reflects the high expectations set by Verstappen's performance compared to his teammates.
Draining of confidence, the incapability of delivering in a car that seems to suit Verstappen's style so seamlessly, competing alongside Formula 1's next all-time great: These are struggles even those who came before Pérez -- a proven race winner in Daniel Ricciardo and touted juniors in Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon -- know all too well as sidekicks to Verstappen at Red Bull.
Horner's remark, "Max is the hardest teammate in the world to have," emphasizes the immense pressure felt by Pérez and his predecessors, illustrating how challenging it is to compete with Verstappen's extraordinary abilities.
For the quadruple world champion's eight-plus years in Red Bull colours, that has been abundantly clear as spelled out in this timeline of the poisoned chalice that is the role of Verstappen's teammate, detailing the competitive struggles faced by all drivers alongside him.
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