Why Red Bull Holding Back Sergio Perez To Make Way For Max Verstappen In 2022 F1 Championship?

Undoubtedly, Sergio Perez had a strong start to the 2022 championship. He won the Monaco Grand Prix and currently sits third in the drivers\’ standings. However, Checo has struggled to display similar performances as his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen, who has a 57 points lead over Perez. The Mexican driver was considered an early title contender with his strong performances and event outqualifying the Dutchman. He started in pole position and led the race in Saudi Arabia before a late safety car landed him in fourth place. While Sergio finished second twice in the last four races, he had to retire on two occasions due to a mechanical failure and the damage caused by a collision with George Russell.

Recently, the 32-year-old claimed that Red bull\’s recent developments preferring Max Verstappen are making the RB18 more difficult to drive. Before the Austrian GP, Checo even stated that he was not too comfortable in the Red Bull car as he was at the start of the season. The recent difficulties for Sergio Perez have given way to speculations that Red Bull prefers Verstappen\’s style and developing their 2022 car to the Dutchman\’s liking.

Since Montreal, Sergio Perez has been uncomfortable with the car after Red Bull made it stronger at the front end. Initially, the RB18, designed under the new aero regulations, had a more understeering balance, especially at slower corners. However, Verstappen prefers a pointy car that provides a more aggressive turn-in and an extra dose of performance. About the matter, Red Bull chief Paul Monaghan opened up about Red Bull\’s view on the recent developments and their effects on Perez\’s driving form. 

Monaghan Claims Red Bull Not Preferring Verstappen\’s Style

The Britsh engineer clarified that Red Bull is not consciously moving away from Perez\’s comfort. Instead, they are working towards unlocking more performance to keep the Ferraris and Mercedes\’ at bay. Talking about Sergio Perez\’s comments, Monaghan said his team did not make deliberate efforts to develop the car less to Checo\’s liking. He added that it was quite difficult to make the car faster with regulatory constraints and financial limitations. Hence, Red Bull relies on the research tool processes involving realization and evaluation at full size.

Paul further revealed that Red Bull had found some pace in recent times. And they will keep relying on the tools to make the RB18 faster. The 54-year-old admitted that it might have been easier for Verstappen to adapt to the deployment of the tools. He accepted that maybe the setup suited the Dutchman more than Checo. However, the Red Bull chief pointed out that the car did not have any fixed parameters, and Perez could revise the setup more to his liking again. Paul also shared that Red Bull needs Sergio Perez to do well to keep their lead going in the constructors\’ championship. Hence, they would be foolish not to help Sergio get more out of his RB18. 

According to Monaghan, Red Bull needs to keep both their cars ahead of the Ferrari and the Mercedes. So, they would do everything to put the two Red Bull drivers ahead of their rivals. The Briton concluded, \”Has the direction taken something that might be preferential to Max? No, not really.\”