Christian Horner says Red Bull’s recent upgrades do not favour Max Verstappen over Sergio Perez
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Max Verstappen(on the left), Sergio Perez(in the middle) and Christian Horner(on the right)
At one stage of the season, Sergio Perez looked like he had a genuine chance in the championship, especially after Monaco, and he was even able to outqualify Max Verstappen in Azerbaijan, but eventually lost the race. After Monaco, Perez was only 15 points behind Verstappen, and just 6 behind Charles Leclerc, who he jumped in front of after Azerbaijan due to the latter’s retirement.
Even after Azerbaijan, he was only 21 points behind Verstappen, which was not a lot. The consensus was that the car had favoured Sergio Perez’s driving style earlier, and he looked like a genuine contender on performance. But two retirements in Austria and Canada have increased the gap between the two massively, with Perez currently 57 points behind his teammate.
Even in Silverstone, his race was compromised by contact with Charles Leclerc, but Verstappen suffered his own share of bad luck, running over debris while in the lead, eventually finishing 7th. Despite being much further down the grid due to the front wing change, Perez eventually finished second. Now, it seems as if Perez has lost his chance, with Verstappen with a decisive advantage, and Charles Leclerc closing in.
Also Read: WATCH: “It’s impossible” Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez undertake ‘The Laughing Challenge’
Red Bull refuse the assumption that their upgrades favour Max Verstappen
Many people believe and report that while the car had earlier favoured Perez in many aspects, with the upgrades, it is beginning to move away from the Mexican a little bit and more towards the style of Max Verstappen, using this as the reason for Verstappen’s advantage over him. Of course, it hasn’t helped that Perez’s fortune in the last three races has not favoured him.
However, Red Bull have chosen to dispel these rumours, saying that they do not favour either driver, and the upgrades are only intended to improve the performance of the car. Helmut Marko has earlier said that it is what happens on track that matters, and as reported by formulapassion.it, also denied that the upgrades are designed for Verstappen: “I don’t think this approach is right. I think the set-up is fundamental. I think Checo was very competitive in the Silverstone race and I think he will have races where he will perform very well.”
Christian Horner has denied this as well: “Certainly the developments are not oriented in one direction, but only at a general improvement in the performance of the car ” However, unfortunately for Perez, even if the upgrades may not favour Verstappen, on the current trend, he seems to have less chance at the championship every race, and needs to catch up quickly in order to mount an actual challenge.
Also Read: “We expect them to be quick,” Christian Horner wary of Mercedes’ threat in the upcoming French GP
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Aniket Tripathi
(1002 Articles Published)