In 2024, Max Verstappen has achieved a total of six wins, whereas Sergio Perez has not secured any victories.
Facing a two-pronged attack from McLaren and Ferrari, Ernest Knoors believes Sergio Perez “cannot help” Max Verstappen while Jan Lammers called him out for going “missing” in Imola.
During a weekend when Red Bull faced some setbacks while attempting to optimize the updated RB20, Verstappen managed to secure pole position. On the other hand, Perez encountered difficulties and failed to advance to Q3.
‘Sergio Perez cannot help his team leader’
Daniel Ricciardo bumped the Mexican driver out of qualifying, causing him to line up in 11th place.
Verstappen’s teammate was confronted with the challenge of competing against McLaren and Ferrari drivers, but it was the “Max factor” that ultimately propelled the Dutchman to secure his fifth win of the season.
Perez, who finished in eighth place and trailed behind the Mercedes drivers, provided no assistance on the day.
“NOS analyst and former Bridgestone engineer Knoors stated that Perez’s performance last year demonstrated his inability to assist Max in critical races. With two teams fielding two cars each, there is added competition that can potentially challenge Max’s position.”
“Perez cannot help his team leader.”
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Sergio Perez’s woes also affecting Red Bull’s data gathering
Lammers, his fellow pundit, shares the same opinion. However, he believes that the issue extends beyond Perez’s role as a supporting player in the races. It also affects the team’s data collection ability when one car is performing poorly.
The former F1 driver expressed that Verstappen deeply feels the absence of Perez. He emphasized the significance of having data, mentioning that McLaren possesses highly precise data from their drivers, whereas Red Bull only has one car to rely on. Consequently, they were limited in their ability to utilize Perez’s potential.
“They’re likely relieved to have made it through the weekend. Now, they have the opportunity to analyze the data and identify areas where the updates are effective and areas where they are not.”
Verstappen’s struggles with his RB20 were apparent during the practice sessions, as stated by Knoors.
“He explained that the key is on Friday and then they had a car that was not functioning, so they had to attempt to restore the car to its proper configuration.”
In addition, they refrained from conducting an extensive run on the hard tire they utilized during the latter portion of the race.
It is evident that the information was not accessible to Red Bull, preventing them from effectively handling the situation during the race.
“With Piastri and Norris in the lead, McLaren effectively handled the situation, enabling Norris to exert pressure successfully.”
Viaplay’s Tom Coronel commended the “Max factor” in the recent triumph of the reigning World Champion. However, he raises concerns about Red Bull’s ability to maintain their lead, considering they are relying on only one strategy, especially with McLaren gradually catching up.
“He’s nearly a minute behind,” he noted. “It’s evident that this is no easy feat, and the Max factor has undeniably boosted Red Bull’s performance.”
“They find themselves questioning their ability to sustain this performance throughout the entire season, as they no longer possess the advantage they once had.”
Coronel concludes that it is indeed “very good for the sport.”
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