But when Perez is removed from the picture entirely, his insignificance to Red Bull’s success this season truly comes to light.

In this alternate reality, Verstappen’s dominant performance in Bahrain would have been followed by further success in Jeddah (where he actually finished second), even after qualifying fifteenth on the grid. He’d have been in the top spot by lap 25, surpassing Fernando Alonso and with no Perez to chase.

Following a third consecutive victory for Verstappen in Melbourne, a Jeddah-esque story would play out once again in Baku. He was  beaten in qualifying and during Saturday’s sprint race by Ferrari‘s Charles Leclerc but had the speed and strategy to best the field during the grand prix on Sunday. If Perez wasn’t there, victory would have been Verstappen’s.

From that point, there’s no need to reimagine Verstappen’s results. Save for the fastest lap in Montreal, Perez didn’t take a single point from Verstappen, who then won ten successive races until his eventual defeat in Singapore, where the RB19 was an uncharacteristic handful and only good enough for fifth.

A week later at Suzuka, it was on top form — Verstappen leading from the front.

As of now, after the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix, the results of a Perez-less season would be remarkably similar to the reality.

Verstappen would have wrapped up his third drivers’ world title in Japan, with a 201-point lead over Lewis Hamilton after his fifteenth win of the season, and Red Bull would remain in control of the constructors’ standings, 78 points ahead of Mercedes.

But on current form, Verstappen on his own would still make Red Bull tough to catch during the final race weekends of the season. If his form continued — winning every remaining event and finishing the year on a total of 585 points — and both Hamilton and Russell never missed the podium, Mercedes would still finish 29 points shy of the constructors’ crown.

New 2023 constructors’ standings (without Perez)

These results shouldn’t shame Perez: his performances in 2021 and 2022 were crucial to Red Bull’s success, and it’s clear that few drivers can access the same level of performance as Verstappen. It would make sense for the team to give him the benefit-of-the-doubt card and keep him on next year — he does have a contract after all.

But Christian Horner and Helmut Marko aren’t renowned for their patience — often cutting drivers loose after just a handful of poor races, let alone an entire bad season. Nyck de Vries, Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon have been victims of the team’s cutthroat ways, so after such as shocking 2023 campaign, why is Perez not receiving the same treatment?

Perhaps Red Bull values the stability and relative calm that Perez brings, which allows Verstappen to perform at the highest level. At just 25 years old, he may well be the best driver on the current grid but, just as importantly, the most consistent. The past two seasons have seen few mistakes and he’s reached the chequered flag 35 times in the last 37 races.

It’s a run of unprecedented success that few past champions can match, and while Verstappen is delivering at this level, why fix a winning formula?

The answer may come with McLaren’s improving performance. Red Bull might be hoping to maintain its advantage at least until the next big regulation change in 2026, but the spotlight will be on Perez if rivals move closer, challenging the team not just in next year’s constructors’ table but for race wins as well.

In that instance, the team could opt for a different driver, with Ricciardo looking to be in the frame. But it could also decide to focus its attention on the car, in search for a solution that can harness Perez’s speed, that’s largely been evidenced by his ability to race through the field after poor qualifying sessions this year.

But until the team is put under greater pressure, and can continue winning with one hand tied behind its back, anyone sitting int he garage alongside Verstappen looks to be completely dispensable until proved otherwise.