Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko has revealed that the Austrians have “found a solution” during the off-season to ensure that the RB19 suits both Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez, after the team were criticised for designing a car that was more suited to Verstappen’s style last year.
Verstappen was sensational last season, with the Dutchman having broken the record for most wins and most points scored in a single campaign, as he cruised to a second consecutive World Championship.
The 25-year-old just seemed to get better as the year progressed, with many having argued that the team’s upgrades suited Verstappen better.
This would suggest why Pérez faded somewhat mid-season, with him having initially started the season superbly, after claiming pole position in Saudi Arabia and victory in Monaco.
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It appeared that the RB18 actually suited the Mexican better at the start of the season, with the upgrades having then taken his confidence in the car away.
This raised the argument of the car suiting Verstappen better, something he completely disagrees with.
“I don’t think it has necessarily suited my driving style. As a driver, you need to adapt to what you get, and that’s also what I did when I joined Red Bull,” Verstappen told Motorsport.com.
“The car was always like that, to be honest. It had a good front end, and I’ve never experienced a fast car with understeer in my life, in any category.
“I feel like if people ask me: what is your driving style? I cannot tell you, because I always adapt to what I get in the best way possible. Sometimes it is a bit harder than others. But I think that’s the key: you need to adapt, every year and every track as well.”
If what Marko has revealed is true, then the argument won’t be brought up this season as to whether Red Bull have prioritised one driver over the other, with the team having designed a car that allows both drivers to “show their qualities”.
“We had a car last year that Checo did very well with in the beginning,” Marko told Sky Germany. “And, after it was developed, Max has been more and more happy.
“The difference is that Max loves a strong front end, really biting. Checo is a little different. He wants a more docile car. But we seem to have found a solution that allows both drivers to show their qualities.”
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Pérez was certainly pleased with the RB19 following pre-season testing, with the Mexican having been glad to reveal that the car “worked very well”.
“The last few days have been pretty intense, testing is very short, so it is very important to get the maximum out of it but overall, it worked really well; we got a good understanding of our car. […] We ran without any big problems, got a lot of laps in, and had good reliability in general,” Pérez said in a Red Bull press release.
“The Team back in Milton Keynes have done a tremendous job, we have a good paced car and certainly think we can work on that more. We will only find out next week where we really are in terms of pace because over testing, we don’t get to see the full picture.”