Sergio Perez was the surprise of the Dutch GP weekend because of his huge gap to teammate Max Verstappen. The Mexican was a whopping 1.3 seconds slower than the Dutchman during the qualifying session. As a result of the same, even Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff raised concerns about the gap. However, Motorsport Magazin journalist Christian Menath explained on the latest episode of the F1 Nation podcast how the Austrian is exaggerating the gap between the two.
Menath believes that the tricky conditions at Zandvoort made it difficult for several drivers to execute their laps well. It is for this reason that Menath believes that Verstappen was able to pull off such a gap over Perez during qualifying. The gap would likely have been a lot smaller, had the conditions on the track been stable.
Menath explains why Verstappen’s gap over Perez was not the worst
During the most recent episode of the F1 Nation podcast, Tom Clarkson and Christian Menath discussed how brilliant Max Verstappen has been this season. Menath began pointing out how even two-time champion Fernando Alonso stated during his press conference that he may not be able to manage what Verstappen has done so far.
When Clarkson asked him what he made of Toto Wolff’s remarks about the flabbergasting gap between Verstappen and Perez, Menath replied, “Don’t forget that we had such difficult circumstances in qualifying as well. So, the gap was exaggerated once again between both of them“.
Meanwhile, even though Verstappen has been able to pull off such a gap over Perez, it does not seem to bother Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. The Briton stated that he is happy with the 33-year-old Mexican and also confirmed his race seat for next season.
Christian Horner confirms Sergio Perez will drive for Red Bull in 2024
Even though rivals have tried their best to unnerve Sergio Perez and Red Bull, Christian Horner still continues to back his driver. The 49-year-old believes that if Max Verstappen was not Perez’s teammate, the Mexican could have easily won a few more races this season.
It is this reason why Horner believes that Verstappen has just reached an unassailable level this season. Hence, the Briton believes that Perez’s battle is not with Verstappen but to ensure that he finishes second in the championship.
Since the former Racing Point driver seems to be achieving the same, Horner believes that the 33-year-old is meeting expectations. However, the Red Bull team principal did state that he would like to see Perez win a few races in the coming Grand Prixs to regain his confidence.
