Sergio Pérez appears to be in luck ahead of the forthcoming season, with Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko having revealed that the team have “found a solution” to make the RB19 suit both Pérez and Max Verstappen, following criticism of favouring the Dutchman last season.
Pérez started 2022 brilliantly, with the Mexican having claimed pole in Saudi Arabia before famously winning in Monaco; however, his performance lowered as the team introduced upgrades to the RB18.
On the flip side, Verstappen simply grew stronger as each upgrade was fitted, with many having accused the Austrians of having favoured upgrading the car to suit the double World Champion.
The car certainly suited Pérez better at the start of the season, suggesting that it was the upgrades which took away his comfort in the car.
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Interestingly, former Red Bull driver Alex Albon recently revealed that the Austrians make “unique changes” to the car to suit Verstappen, with any of the sort likely going against Pérez’s driving style.
“If you play Call of Duty, or a game like that, turn your sensitivity up to the highest it will go. That’s what it’s like to drive that car,” Albon told The Players’ Tribune.
Pérez admitted himself during pre-season testing that himself and Verstappen like different things when it comes to the car’s handling, with the Dutchman preferring a “looser rear end”.
“Max can cope with a less stable rear end than I can,” Pérez said.
“We both want a good front end. It’s just a question of how stable the rear end can be. And certainly Max has been able to cope with a looser rear end than me.”
Even Marko has admitted that Verstappen became “happier and happier” last season as the team upgraded the car, as it started to suit his driving style.
The Austrian revealed that Pérez is someone who prefers a “more docile car”, whilst Verstappen “loves” an aggressive front end.
Supposedly, the team have “found a solution” with the 2023 car that’ll benefit both drivers, with it now just a question of who the car prefers once it’s developed.
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“We had a car last year in which Checo did very well at the beginning,” Marko told Sky Deutschland.
“And then as it developed, Max was happier and happier. The difference is that Max loves a front end that really bites. Checo wants a more docile car.
“But it looks like we’ve found a solution,” Marko added.