Sergio Perez continues facing similar troubles at Red Bull as he did in 2023. A strong start to the season is doing little to help him maintain consistency, and in the last six races, the Mexican has been nowhere in the top five. However, former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has given an eye-opening insight into Perez’s woes, highlighting why he cannot match teammate Max Verstappen.
Montoya claims that the RB20 that Perez is driving is not on the same level as Verstappen’s. In F1, both cars a team field, should have similar specs and they do for the most part. But Montoya looked at the onboards of both Red Bull drivers at Silverstone, and has concluded that there is a slight inferiority in Perez’s challenger.
“They are two very different cars…it is impossible to go faster,” Montoya asserted.
️ “I put my hand up, I f***ed up today, tomorrow is a new day.”
Sergio Perez insists “it’s a matter of a time before we turn around the situation” after his miserable run of form continued with a Q1 spin and exit at Silverstone. pic.twitter.com/1fkPWkLtQR
— The Race (@wearetherace) July 6, 2024
Montoya feels that the balance in Perez’s car is different and it doesn’t turn as smoothly on the curves as Verstappen’s does. He believes it is a configuration issue that is adding to the disparity in performance.
On top of that, Perez hasn’t been criticized by the Red Bull bosses as much as he was during his form slump in 2023. Per Montoya, this is because internally they know that the car Perez is driving is not as good as his three-time World Champion teammate’s.
However, that isn’t to say that Perez isn’t under pressure.
Perez remains in danger of losing his seat
Driving arguably the fastest car on the grid, Perez getting knocked out of Q1 or Q2 in Qualifying is unacceptable. Moreover, he isn’t able to get into the podium places in races either, with Red Bull’s car not as dominant as it was in 2023.
Reportedly, the contract Perez signed earlier this year has two clauses. One, he can’t be more than five places behind Verstappen in the standings. And two, the gap between himself and the Dutchman has to be less than 100 points.
As things stand, Perez is failing on both fronts, which puts him on the brink as the contract states that Red Bull can replace him in 2024 itself, as early as the Belgian GP.
On the other hand, if what Montoya is claiming turns out to be true, sacking Perez would be unfair and the Mexican will get another year to prove himself.
