Red Bull signed Pérez for the 2021 season as a replacement for Albon, and in his first year the Mexican had to adapt to the RB16, which was largely developed around team leader Verstappen .
Pérez achieved one victory and five podium finishes, while the Dutchman took the drivers’ world championship . However, Red Bull renewed Checo for 2022.
With the new RB18 , Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez started on equal terms and although the reigning world champion is still ahead of his experienced team-mate, Pérez has found his best performance in recent races, winning the Monaco Grand Prix after overtaking Verstappen himself.
His first victory of the season put him third in the drivers’ championship with 110 points from seven races, more than half of what he achieved in total in 2021.
Even before his victory in Monaco, Pérez’s strong performances had impressed the Milton Keynes outfit enough to offer him a new two-year contract, until the end of the 2024 season.
Asked to explain the differences between its two drivers, Red Bull chief engineer Paul Monaghan said the 2022 car suits Perez more than last year’s.
“Checo [Perez] is driving extremely well this year, and he finds the car is not always to his liking, but it is a car he can drive,” Monaghan explained.
“I find it interesting to note that Max [Verstappen]… well, Max can drive it too. My goodness, I’m telling you he can. And when it comes to likes and dislikes about a car, it’s a typical change in trend that you’ll see between guys. of team”.
“I think last year’s car, don’t forget that we were coming to the end of a period of rules that had evolved, and that we had evolved alongside Max. And then Checo came along and, as Max’s teammate, we couldn’t have Found nothing better, right?
Monaghan suggested that Perez now hits the sweet spot of the RB18 car at least as fast as Verstappen during a grand prix weekend, but that the Dutchman is performing at his best in order to find an advantage late in qualifying.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a particularly difficult car, nor would I say it’s an easy one. And at the moment the trend is that Checo is very comfortable with it and he likes it.”
“Would Max get to the same comfort point? Yes, he can do it a little later in the weekend. Will he complain after the race win, lose or whatever? Complain is the wrong word, let’s ask: will he have your usual constructive criticism? Yes, of course. I think we should expect that from both of us.”
“I don’t know if one is more comfortable than the other. I think Max is driving as well as I’ve ever seen him drive. We’ll see what happens at the end of the year.”
