Sergio Perez has claimed that Max Verstappen is now experiencing the same issues that he has encountered over several months with Red Bull’s 2024 Formula 1 car.
Red Bull’s ongoing struggles hit a new low at the Italian Grand Prix as it was unable to match Ferrari, McLaren or Mercedes and came home in sixth and eighth places.
The reigning champion’s woes mark a complete contrast to the competitiveness it showed earlier in the term when Verstappen headed three 1-2 results in four races.
But while Verstappen continued to claim sporadic wins and consistent podiums as the grid closed up, Perez endured a slump which put his drive under consideration.
However, Red Bull’s dramatic dip has meant even Verstappen has been unable to haul the mishandling RB20, which he has called a “monster”, into podium contention.
Perez has asserted that his problems have been the same as previous outings, though, and reckons that the sole change is that his team-mate is now being hindered.
“I really feel like I’m in the same boat as I’ve been in the last 10 races,” Perez expressed. “But now, all of a sudden, Max has come to similar issues.
“So there’s a little bit of confusion there. But it’s clear in the data where the problem is.”
Perez has conceded that Red Bull being unable to make much progress from the fourth row in race conditions due to excessive degradation at Monza was a surprise.
“I’m pretty disappointed,” he admitted afterwards. “I was expecting it to be difficult, but not this bad.
“We basically were slow and high degradation, especially on the medium [tyre compound].”
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko revealed that Verstappen has told him that rediscovering the sweet spot with the RB20’s balance is more vital than adding downforce.
“Max said he doesn’t need 20 more points of downforce if it makes the car undriveable,” he wrote in his Speedweek column.
“We need to go back and hope to find a moment when the car was still balanced.
“If we can do that, then the car will become more predictable again and the drivers will regain their confidence.”
Despite losing out on the win to Ferrari’s one-stopping Charles Leclerc last weekend, McLaren still eradicated the gap to Red Bull to eight points with a double podium.
But Marko is certain that both Verstappen and Perez would be able to deliver the results needed to retain the Constructors’ Championship with a more benign package.
“If Max starts winning again at that point, it will be enough for Perez to finish between third and fifth.”
“Everything depends on the work of our technicians in restoring balance to the car, only then will Verstappen’s class be able to make the difference again.”
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