According to Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner, the reason why Sergio Perez has been performing so well this year is his car’s “lack of peculiarities.” Horner claims his driver is much more comfortable behind the wheel of the 2022 car than he was last year in the RB16B.
While Perez did manage to win a Grand Prix last year in Azerbaijan, he clearly didn’t have as strong a season as his teammate, and that’s partially because the RB16B was designed to suit Max Verstappen’s driving style perfectly.
The team however did anticipate that many of the characteristics that made the RB16B so difficult to master for Perez would eventually be smoothed over by this year’s new aerodynamics and tire regulations, as per Motorsport.
The Mexican driver has already made his best start ever to an F1 season, securing pole position in Saudi Arabia and finishing P2 in Australia and Italy (Imola).
Horner went on to praise Perez recently, stating the following: “He’s driving at a very high level. He’s more comfortable in the team this year. I think the car suits him better this year. It doesn’t have some of the peculiarities that the previous probably three cars of ours had.”
“We’re happy with the job he’s doing,” added Horner, while also acknowledging that he’s only seen a sample of four races thus far, making it hard to start thinking about any future plans regarding Perez and his contract.
Perez is actually the first driver to join Red Bull from outside of its junior academy since Mark Webber did the same in 2007. The former Racing Point driver is also the fourth teammate that Max Verstappen has had in as many seasons.
Verstappen’s wingman is currently third in the 2022 Driver Standings with 66 points, just 7 points clear of Mercedes’ George Russell.
The team however did anticipate that many of the characteristics that made the RB16B so difficult to master for Perez would eventually be smoothed over by this year’s new aerodynamics and tire regulations, as per Motorsport.
The Mexican driver has already made his best start ever to an F1 season, securing pole position in Saudi Arabia and finishing P2 in Australia and Italy (Imola).
Horner went on to praise Perez recently, stating the following: “He’s driving at a very high level. He’s more comfortable in the team this year. I think the car suits him better this year. It doesn’t have some of the peculiarities that the previous probably three cars of ours had.”
“We’re happy with the job he’s doing,” added Horner, while also acknowledging that he’s only seen a sample of four races thus far, making it hard to start thinking about any future plans regarding Perez and his contract.
Perez is actually the first driver to join Red Bull from outside of its junior academy since Mark Webber did the same in 2007. The former Racing Point driver is also the fourth teammate that Max Verstappen has had in as many seasons.
Verstappen’s wingman is currently third in the 2022 Driver Standings with 66 points, just 7 points clear of Mercedes’ George Russell.