With Red Bull a dominant force in F1 2023, Verstappen and Perez ꦓare the only realistic contenders for this year’s championship.

Only 14 points separate the pa♋ir after the opening five rounds of th❀e season.

Verstappen has three w♐ins, while Perez has started the year strongly with two victories🍨.

Wi𒈔th the Monaco Grand Prix up next, a track Verstappen has historicallyౠ not performed well at, Perez has an ideal opportunity to close the gap in the standings.

Their duel has been compared to the iconic Senna versus Prಌost duels.

Senna and Prost dominated𝓰 the sport in the late 1980s with McLaren, with the pair infamously 🥂coming to blows on a number of occasions.

Antoni♈o Perez believes history is repeating itselfꦍ at Red Bull with a new rivalry.

“You have to remember when McLaren had Senna and Prost," Perez told Mexican outlet Esto.

“This is the same thing. Today we are living it again. They are two tigers in the sam❀e cage. They both think the same, have the same breakfast, eat the same.

“Y🧸ou see they both try to take fastest lap from one another. In qualifying they want the pole; they want to be fastest in practice.꧒”

Perez is sure his son has what it takes to become F1 world champion.

“[Verstappen is] more settled in,” Antonio Perez added. "You have to remember how long Max had been with the team꧟. Checo can now walk at Max's pace. I still feel that between ಌMax and Checo there are a few thousandths in favour of Max, and in the difficult tracks I see them very even.

“Every morning, [Checo] knows that he is in a team thaౠt is in first place and that second is the first loser.

“[Before Red Bull], when he finished 10th, it was amazing, but if Checo had had this opportunity from the beginning as ot𝄹her young drivers have had, he would already be World Champion several ti🌼mes, I have no doubt. And I believe we will have Checo Perez here for the next 10 years and I see him as World Champion."