Ex-F1 driver Damon Hill has warned that Red Bull might go “off on a tangent” if they focus on Max Verstappen’s feedback when developing their car instead of listening to Sergio Perez, who has considerably more experience than the Dutch ace.
“I think Sergio being more mature, having had more experience, I think he will be able to see what’s going on. It’s very difficult for a young person [Max Verstappen] who’s beholden to Red Bull,” the 1996 F1 World Champion said.
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“So, he will be able to act as a strong player within that team. And they will have to listen to what he says because he’s got quite a lot of experience now… More than Max.
“When you have a very talented driver, sometimes a team can go off on a tangent because a driver says ‘I like that’. And sometimes the drivers can be wrong.
“Sometimes drivers can have so much natural talent that they could drive anything, doesn’t matter how bad it is. You know, and they can make it go quick.
“But that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re going in the right direction with the car,” Hill added.
Red Bull’s 2021 driver line-up of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez should lead to a closer battle between the Milton Keynes-based team and Mercedes next year, as Verstappen will be less likely to find himself outnumbered by the Silver Arrows at the front.
However, given how other talented drivers have struggled at Red Bull in recent years, it’s difficult to estimate how Perez will perform at the team next year, but Verstappen will certainly be hoping that the Mexican can serve as a reliable rear-gunner.
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