Sergio Pérez could claim to be a specialist on street circuits, having won last season’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix with Red Bull, as well as Monaco and Singapore in 2022, and podium finishes in previous seasons with Force India. The Mexican won a complicated test under the night of Marina Bay in the purest style of Max Verstappen, with a perfect performance at the wheel of the RB18.
This sudden “resurrection” of Checo in the difficult Asian weekend comes after a stage full of ups and downs, since in the last six appointments he had only tasted champagne once. In the paddock it was said that the energy drinks team had focused all their efforts on giving their teammate a competitive car, as they tended to understeer more, and it seemed that way until Singapore.
The diet to lose weight in the RB18 has not only increased performance [around three tenths per 10 kilos], but has also allowed the engineers led by Adrian Newey to create a more balanced car, which guarantees better handling and management. of the gums.
Detail of the background of the Ferrari-style Red Bull RB18 used in Monza
That is why we can ask ourselves what has allowed Pérez to overcome everyone in Marina Bay, and the answer comes from the hand of a photograph that our colleague from Motorsport.com Italia, Giorgio Piola , took on the grid of exit, while the Mexican was placed in the first row.
As you can see, Pérez had the same background as Verstappen. Even the Dutchman refused to use the new Ferrari-style flooring at the British Grand Prix, so that piece went to Perez. The reason given by the Milton Keynes engineers was that, due to the budget limit, they did not want to manufacture more old floors and would have given the Mexican the update that was “only” a tenth apart.
However, that was not the case in Singapore, because Checo was also able to benefit from the more efficient solution, and the result was immediately visible. The element, without the blower in front of the rear wheel, was the same as on Verstappen’s RB18 .
Detail of the bottom of the Red Bull RB18 in Singapore
Sergio Pérez ‘s car also had a different design on the edge of the exit in the center, where the two square Nolder can be seen, which is a departure from the rounded style and the slot between the two holes previously.
The Pierre Wache engineers have explained that they updated the aerodynamic flow passage to have less loss when modifying the heights, and that is something that Pérez especially liked, because it has been seen again as at the beginning of the season.
The team from Milton Keynes wants to achieve the runner-up position with Checo, and after the victory in Singapore, only two points separate him from Charles Leclerc, although everything will be decided in the remaining five races.
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