The 2024 F1 season has been disastrous for Sergio Perez. He has not only been able to stay close to Verstappen’s pace, but he has also dropped down to 8th in the Drivers’ Championship, leaving Red Bull vulnerable in the Constructors’ Championship. But Max Verstappen believes he has the solution to fix Checo’s problem going forward.
Sergio Perez’s lack of pace this season has cost Red Bull a lot fo points. As a result, the team lost their lead in the Constructors’ Title to McLaren back in Baku. During the last race in Mexico, even Ferrari managed to get past Red Bull to take 2nd place in the standings. There is no question that the team has to do something to fix the problem at hand.
Max Verstappen states how to help Sergio Perez
During the press conference of the Brazil Grand Prix, Max Verstappen was asked about his teammate’s lack of podiums this season. To this, he replied:
“I think since China, it’s been quite difficult – other teams have caught up, they’ve had good performance upgrades and even for me, it’s been hard to be on the podium consistently. I think we just need to work hard to improve the car and that will help Checo definitely.”
Sergio Perez’s pace has always been south of Verstappen’s. Last year, it wasn’t a problem for Red Bull as the RB19 was so dominant that none of the other teams had a chance of beating Red Bull no matter who was behind the wheel. But this year is not the same.
🚨 | Christian Horner says “difficult decisions have to be made” when asked if Sergio Perez will remain at Red Bull until the season finale. #F1 #MexicanGPhttps://t.co/3moZylGrc1
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) October 28, 2024
The RB20 was also expected to be as dominant as the RB19. But reality checked in and said otherwise. Like Verstappen said, ever since the Chinese Grand Prix, Red Bull’s pace has been on a downward trajectory. No matter what upgrades the team brings, they are not able to keep up with the race pace of McLaren or Ferrari.
So the real problem with the RB20 is the race pace. In the past few races, we have seen Verstappen have the pace to put his car on pole. But come race day, he is not able to keep the lead of the race. In Mexico, Max was not even able to keep up with the pace of the Mercedes who were the 3rd fastest car that weekend. So what does Red Bull need to do?
What Red Bull needs to solve critical race pace problem
While the RB20 has some decent one-lap pace for qualifying, they are not able to keep up the pace for the entire Grand Prix. This could mean that the tyre degradation levels in the RB20 are far too high compared to the McLaren and Ferrari.
With high tyre degradation, the pace takes a significant hit lap after lap. Hence, the RB20 is not able to keep up with the cars ahead. Red Bull needs to come up with a quick fix to this problem. It’s not just this year’s Championship that is at stake, it’s next year’s as well.
🚨 | Max Verstappen is set to replace the internal combustion engine for the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Verstappen’s 5-place gridpenalty applies for main race, and not the sprint race that happens on Saturday.#F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/EieXHdAxDJ
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) October 31, 2024
The 2025 season will not have any major technical regulation changes. Hence, the teams that are strong this year will continue developing the car to be the strongest next year as well. So if Red Bull hopes to be in the Championship fight in 2025, they need to come up with a fix for their poor race pace.
Do you think Red Bull can still come back and win the Constructors’ Championship this year? Also, do you think Red Bull can compete for the Championship next year? Post your thoughts in the comments section below.
