Red Bull Racing’s car for the 2023 season, the RB19, is viewed as the fastest car ever to hit the grid in recent history. The machinery is over 10 seconds quicker than its rivals, which earns drivers like Max Verstappen an added advantage. However, while Verstappen has successfully gained unimaginable performance of RB19, his teammate Sergio Perez has struggled.
In the recently concluded Dutch Grand Prix, Sergio Perez remained 1.3 seconds slower than Max Verstappen in the qualifying session. While the Dutch driver clinched the pole, Checo had to settle for P7. The massive deficit in equal machinery baffled Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, who accused Red Bull of designing the car to Verstappen’s liking. The Dutchman didn’t take it well and fired back shots at Wolff.
Max Verstappen Fires Back At Toto Wolff Over Favouritism Allegations
The deficit between Red Bull teammates Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez confused Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. He went on record saying that Checo is no idiot. He knows how to drive and win. Hence, the consistent gap is baffling. Wolff further accused Red Bull and Verstappen of destroying Perez. He believes that Red Bull has been designing the car to the Dutch driver’s liking, which has made Perez uncomfortable. The Austrian openly accused the drink-based team of disparity and unequal treatment of both their drivers. Amid the raging debate, the reigning F1 champion fired back at Toto Wolff and termed his allegations “Bullsh*t comments.”
Max Verstappen added that he is not in a position to guide the engineers over the design and manufacturing of the car. His job is to drive the car as fast as possible. The Dutchman believes that each year, the machinery is different. One has to be flexible over their driving style. When quizzed about his driving approach, Verstappen said that he has no preferred approach. He just tries to adapt to make the car go as quickly as possible. Having said that, Checo has been struggling a lot this season. He is lagging over 100 points behind his teammate in the driver’s championship standings. Moreover, rumors of his imminent sacking also gained momentum after Daniel Ricciardo made a move to Alpha Tauri. However, for now, Red Bull has vowed to back the Mexican driver until the expiration of his contract in 2024.
Red Bull Ace Retracts From Early Retirement Threats
Reigning Formula One champion Max Verstappen caused a massive uproar by threatening pre-mature retirement earlier this year. In the wake of sprint race format changes, the Dutch driver said that if FIA continues to mess with the formats, he would not stay on the grid for long. However, months later, Verstappen has seemingly retracted from his statement.
“I think retiring at 28 for me is probably a bit too soon,” Max Verstappen said at Monza. To those unversed, the Dutchman’s existing contract with Red Bull will cease to exist in 2028. His future post that is unlikely. However, the drink-based team’s chief, Christian Horner, is confident of the youngster’s return. He believes Max has loads of potential stored, and he will take the necessary measures to extend his stay.
