Max Verstappen began the season aiming to match Sebastian Vettel’s record of four World Championships. Given his dominance since the introduction of the ground effect rules, he was a leading contender for the title.
Nevertheless, as the season advanced, the RB20 encountered persistent technical issues that the team has struggled to resolve. This ongoing difficulty has made the Milton Keynes-based team seem increasingly susceptible. Additionally, their performance in Monza was notably poor. As a result, Sergio Perez believes that Max Verstappen is experiencing a similar challenging period to his own.
“We’re On The Same Boat,” Checo’s Verdict After ‘Bouncy’ Outing In Monza
Sergio Perez, like his teammate Max Verstappen, faced significant challenges with the balance of his RB20 during the recent race. He struggled with higher-than-expected tire wear and making a two-stop strategy work effectively. Starting on the hard compound tires, Perez eventually switched to mediums late in the race, but the performance was not as anticipated.
Moreover, Perez expressed his disappointment, acknowledging that while he expected difficulties, the situation was worse than anticipated. He noted that the car was slow and experienced high degradation, particularly on the medium tires. Despite these issues, Perez managed to keep George Russell behind him for a period, which he believes contributed positively to the team’s overall points tally by preventing Russell from closing in on Verstappen.
Reflecting on his performance, the Mexican racer admitted that he felt he was in the same challenging situation he has faced for several races. However, with Verstappen now encountering similar problems, there is added confusion. Despite this, Checo is confident that the team, both at the track and back at their headquarters, will find a solution. He remains hopeful that with the problem identified—primarily related to balance—the team can resolve the issues and return to their competitive form. Perez is focused on working hard until a fix is found.
Verstappen Insists Red Bull To Change The Entire Car
Reflecting on his recent performance, the RBR starlet acknowledged that he wasn’t particularly frustrated during the race despite the disappointing results. He focused on executing his strategy, but the car’s pace was subpar, and a poor pit stop further hampered his efforts. Verstappen admitted that the team’s strategy could have been improved, although he felt that it wouldn’t have significantly altered his position even with a better plan.
An engine issue further affected the race, preventing Verstappen from running at full power for most of the event. Moreover, the Dutchman described the race as “pretty bad” and highlighted that the engine problem was particularly troubling. He expressed that significant changes are needed to address the car’s performance issues before the next race in Baku.
Verstappen’s winless streak has now reached six races, and he warned that without substantial changes to the car, the situation could continue to deteriorate throughout the rest of the season. He pointed out that even without the engine issues, the race would still have been challenging, though there might have been some improvement in competitiveness. Verstappen recognized that these difficulties are part of racing, but he remains determined and focused on pushing hard to turn things around.