Sergio Perez reached a podium at the Chinese Grand Prix, finishing behind his teammate by almost a full pit stop.
Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)
Since joining the Red Bull team, Perez has faced intense scrutiny for not matching the performance of the reigning champion. This debate reached a new level at the Chinese GP, when Perez failed to overtake his teammate for second place. F1 commentator Ted Kravitz defended Perez, suggesting that the RB20 car is designed to favor Verstappen’s driving style.
During the Chinese GP, Red Bull was hoping for a one-two finish after dominating the front row. However, Perez was unable to pass Lando Norris, who was on a one-stop strategy, and had to settle for third place. This performance gap between Perez and Verstappen led to calls for Perez to be removed from the team.
However, Ted Kravitz supported Perez and explained why his performance may have seemed unimpressive compared to his reigning champion teammate.
According to Kravitz, the RB20 car is designed to maximize Verstappen’s comfort in the car. It is widely known in the paddock that Verstappen prefers a car with oversteer, while Perez prefers a car with understeer. This creates a challenge for designers to create a car that suits both drivers. However, Kravitz suggests that the team prioritizes Verstappen’s preferences due to his status as the reigning champion.
Perez was consistently lapping about six tenths of a second slower than Verstappen in China. This raised concerns about his performance, which were confirmed when he lost second place to McLaren’s Norris. However, Perez remained calm and attributed his setback to the timing of the safety car.
Perez explained that he was caught off guard by the safety car because he had just made his pit stop. This resulted in him losing two positions to his rivals. Additionally, he struggled to get the hard tires into the ideal temperature range, which caused a loss of grip and ultimately cost him second place.
Despite the disappointment in China, Perez remains confident that the next race in Miami will be better for him. His team boss also has faith in him, so Perez will seek to address his weaknesses and gain a confidence boost for the next race.
