Alex Albon blatantly calls out unsubstantial claims that Red Bull designs their cars around Max Verstappen
Sergio Perez after the 2023 Saudi Arabian GP wins suggested that Red Bull used to build cars to Max Verstappen's preferences
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Verstappen and Albon
Alexander Albon has revealed the truth behind the controversy surrounding Max Verstappen and his dominant performance over his partners in recent years. The general view is that Red Bull has been tailoring their car to Verstappen’s preferences, making it much harder for his teammates to get the better of him on track. According to Albon, this is not the case whatsoever.
He argued that the challenge for Max’s teammates is to extract pace from the car the same way he does. Due to the fact that Max is able to push the car as far as he does, it is more natural for developers to follow his lead. Albon told Express Sport, “I think people get very confused with designing a car around a driver and a driver who’s very very quick and wants a car a certain way.”
He proceeded to add, “No, it’s the fact that he can deal with it and he drives it in a certain way. You’ve got to try and find what he has because at the end of the day he’s making it work.” Verstappen has dominated several teammates in recent years, including Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly. Sergio Perez has satisfied Red Bull but is still short of Verstappen’s level.
Alex Albon spent a season and a half at Red Bull, where he failed to meet the team’s high expectations, along with struggling to cope with his teammate at the time Verstappen’s level. He achieved two podiums, but they were overshadowed by the adversities he faced. In his first full season, he qualified fourth at best, with his average position being 7th, compared to Verstappen’s 3rd. He only achieved two podiums with an average finish position of 7.75, far off Max’s 2.42. He only managed P6 in the championship despite driving a top car.
Red Bull no longer a one-man team, asserts Sergio Perez
Sergio Perez spoke out recently on Red Bull, having been centered around Max Verstappen in recent years, but how it is no longer the case. The experienced Mexican is firmly in the title fight his season after 2 podiums, including a win at Jeddah, standing only 15 points behind Verstappen.
When questioned on the feasibility of winning the Championship, Perez replied, “Certainly. We have a very strong car, a very strong package, a car I feel comfortable with, a car I am working well with and a car I believe, with the direction we are taking in development, I can get the most out of.” He also emphasized the importance of consistency, insisting, “It think it’s all about consistency and taking it race by race. You can win 15 races but in the other races if you crash and have DNFs it is not enough.” He went on to assert that there is no driver harder to be than his Dutch counterpart.
The two drivers have been making news for friction surrounding their relationship recently, but Perez assures that despite any past encounters, he stands to do the best possible for himself. He believes there is mutual respect between them, stating, “There is a great atmosphere with the team, a very high level of respect between each other with all the engineers on their side and my side. I think we are both mature enough to know what’s right and what’s wrong. As long as that keeps being the case, I don’t expect anything to change.”
Max Verstappen has been Red Bull’s star figure for a couple of years now, with Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon failing to meet the standard set by the Flying Dutchman. Sergio Perez is the first to be able to challenge him, securing consistent podiums and a handful of wins. However, it stands to be seen whether he can maintain this challenge, as Verstappen is known to be ruthless and dominating when it comes to his counterparts.
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Justin P Joy
(5010 Articles Published)