Max Verstappen ensured that normal service once again resumed at the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend after he grabbed his 13th win of the season to help Red Bull win their sixth Constructors’ Championship. The Dutchman’s win at Suzuka was the Milton Keynes outfit’s 15th victory this year, having only missed out at the Singapore Grand Prix last weekend. However, what was startling this weekend was the staggering 0.7-second advantage Verstappen had over Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez during qualifying. Since rumors have emerged over the course of the season that Red Bull are perhaps favoring Verstappen, the 25-year-old ensured he set the record straight.
Verstappen wanted to make sure that everyone knew that they were driving the same car. The rumors of Red Bull favoring Verstappen have been rampant because of the ease at which the Dutchman has repeatedly been able to beat Perez week in and week out.
With a 177-point lead over Perez, the 25-year-old has enough of a gap to win the championship at the next race in Qatar even if he wins the sprint. It is this reason why Verstappen once again wanted to make it clear why Perez is nowhere as good as him.
“Our cars are the same“: Verstappen’s simple reply to why he is quicker than Perez
Sergio Perez once again had a disastrous weekend at Suzuka. First, Max Verstappen beat him by over 0.7 seconds in qualifying. Secondly, the Mexican also registered a DNF after making multiple mistakes over the course of the race.
As a result, the interviewer asked Verstappen to explain why he has been so much faster than Perez. In reply, the Dutchman stated, “No, the only thing I can say is our cars are the same.” Max just wanted to make sure that he got the point across that he had no advantage when it came to the car over Perez.
“the entire weekend uve been a lot faster than checo, now again 0.7 secs. do u have an explanation for this? is there something?”
max: no the only thing i can say is our cars are the same. pic.twitter.com/YrFhJvnmQl
— nini (@SCUDERIAFEMBOY) September 23, 2023
The remarks from Verstappen are a clearer message that Perez is nowhere as good as he is, and as a result, the former Racing Point driver is slower than him. While this is Verstappen’s analysis of the situation, many experts do believe that Red Bull have constantly designed a car to cater to the 25-year-old’s strengths.
Are Red Bull favoring Max Verstappen over Sergio Perez?
Over the course of the 2023 season, all kinds of F1 fans have given their take on why they believe that Red Bull is favoring Max Verstappen over Sergio Perez. The fans have included F1 experts, journalists, former drivers, and fellow team bosses as well.
F1 expert David Croft gave a crystal clear reason following the conclusion of the Miami Grand Prix earlier this year to explain why he believes that Red Bull are favoring Verstappen. In an interview (as quoted by planetf1.com), Croft explained that Red Bull were constantly giving Verstappen updates, but Perez’s radio was quiet the entire time.
“That constant check on how the relative race gap is between him (Verstappen) and his teammate (Perez). Perez has been out there, in a way, driving blind. It’s been very odd. A bit too quiet on his radio,” explained Croft.
“Todo [rumor sobre esto] es una tontería. El lugar de @SChecoPerez nunca ha estado en peligro y nunca estará en peligro. Es un elemento importante para lograr las metas que nos hemos propuesto para este año. Queremos terminar primero y segundo en el campeonato de pilotos y… pic.twitter.com/wcZ1y0TjML
— PrimeF1 (@PrimeF1__) June 9, 2023
Even Sergio Perez himself complained that the car is not suitable for him saying, “I haven’t been able to extract the maximum from the car, haven’t been comfortable since I got here, so we tend to see these sort of gaps.”
The gap between Checo and Max have clearly evident, which puts the Mexican on the hot seat. The chances are highly unlikely that he will be driving for Red Bull beyond 2024 as the Milton Keynes outfit have talented youngsters waiting on the sidelines.
