Daniel Riccardo has become one of the insiders at Red Bull over the past year, courtesy of his reserve role. Appearing on the Beyond the Grid podcast, Ricciardo disclosed the factors that contributed to Max Verstappen succeeding in the 2023 season. However, these revelations from the Honey Badger also align with the difficulties encountered by Sergio Perez throughout the same year.
During his discussion, the Australian driver shared details about his chance to test both Max Verstappen’s and Sergio Perez’s RB19. When discussing this experience, Daniel Ricciardo mentioned recalling the distinctive characteristics of the Red Bull car. As quoted by Marca, he said, “The cars have evolved and changed a lot but there was part of its DNA that was still what I remembered and what I really liked in a racing car.”
Ricciardo drove for Red Bull from 2014 to 2018, and it appears that this is the timeframe the 34-year-old driver is pointing out in this instance. Additionally, Ricciardo expressed favorable sentiments regarding the predictability and confidence-inspiring nature of the car.
Specifically highlighting the acceleration, which stood in contrast to Perez’s early-season grievances Ricciardo said, “I just remember stepping on the gas. Once I got to 50 percent throttle, I had a lot of faith in crushing that last 50 percent and not really having to worry about the car or where it was.”
Nevertheless, while wrapping up, the AlphaTauri driver showered praise on Max Verstappen for his adept maneuvering of the RB19. The 34-year-old mentioned that even though the RB19 was the fastest car on the grid in 2023, it doesn’t automatically mean that it will be easy to operate.
Ricciardo reflected on how people should commend Verstappen for handling and winning races in RB19 in challenging wet conditions too. The Aussie feels his former teammate made a difference as the RB19 didn’t do everything for him. Ricciardo’s insights indicate the car’s advantage is not the sole factor behind Red Bull’s exceptional performance.
What challenges did Sergio Perez face in contrast to the dominance of Max Verstappen?
The year 2023 proved to be a landmark season for Red Bull, primarily due to Max Verstappen’s remarkable dominance. The Dutch driver secured victory in 19 races, achieving an impressive consecutive winning streak from Miami to Italy.
For his teammate Sergio Perez, 2023 started with strong showings only for his form to wither later. However, as the races progressed, the Mexican driver failed to make an appearance in five consecutive Q3 sessions. Despite the challenges, Perez successfully rebounded, securing the P2 position by the season’s end.
Yet, amid his struggles, when queried about whether he was pushing the car too hard the 33-year-old said, “Yeah. Certainly, when you’re not fully confident with the car.” Following that, Perez noted that the events in Monaco probably set him back a bit, and it took him some time to fully trust the car as he did initially.
In addition, he also emphasized how external factors, particularly the changeable conditions, influenced his race, resulting in a slight performance discrepancy. The Monaco GP was a big event for Perez as the qualifying crash probably derailed his confidence.
Furthermore, Perez summarized how the mid-season adjustments to the RB19 steered the car away from his favored traits. Following this, he conveyed his present objective of cultivating a more resilient and dependable connection with the RB20.
In the end, while responding about his ambitions for the 2024 title, Perez agreed that is the main target. The Mexican driver thinks they need better pace and more consistency for a title challenge. Still, with the alarming gap that Perez had to Verstappen this year, it will take an extraordinary effort on his end to even come close to the three-time champion’s pace.
