Sergio Perez had a decent start to the 2024 season as he finished second at the Bahrain Grand Prix this past weekend. Although the Mexican finished over 22 seconds behind Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen, he yet had a far more improved performance after his struggles last year. Since the 34-year-old overtook a few cars during the race, Red Bull got a solid understanding of how the RB20 operates in traffic. After having a look at Perez’s performance, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko explained why he believes that the RB20’s daring concept works.
In a recent interview with Motorsport-Total.com, the Austrian replied to a question about whether Red Bull have found a way to make their new concept work despite taking the risks that they did. Marko said, “Yes. And indeed cooling can be a problem with this new concept. But we had no problems at all, not even when Checo was stuck in traffic for quite a while”.
What has been most fascinating about the RB20 is the design of the side pods. Red Bull seemingly took inspiration from Mercedes’ zero side pod concept from 2022 despite it failing for the Silver Arrows. The Milton Keynes outfit have featured vertical side pod inlets that have deep undercuts.
The team opted for such a design to improve the cooling of the car. And considering the remarks Marko made in a recent interview, they seemed to have achieved their objective. However, despite Red Bull’s dominating performance at the Bahrain GP, Perez has insisted that they still have a lot of work to do.
Sergio Perez wants Red Bull to improve the “balance” of his car
After finishing second at the Bahrain GP, Sergio Perez explained the struggles he faced and the areas he wants his team to work on. As quoted by formula1.com, he said, “I was struggling quite a bit with the balance, with the downshifts and the engine braking. I think there is some tidy-up to do before Jeddah”.
After stating the same, the Mexican explained how he hopes to continue the “momentum” going into the races ahead. The P2 finish will indeed help Perez get his confidence back, having last finished this high on the grid at the 2023 Italian Grand Prix in September.
2023 was indeed a difficult campaign for the driver from Guadalajara as he just won two races as compared to teammate Max Verstappen’s 19. Moreover, what was more disappointing about Perez’s results was that both his victories came in the first four races of the 2023 season.
Perez will hope to avoid the same this year if he is to prove his mettle to Red Bull and get an extension on his contract beyond the 2024 season.
