New Evidence Proves Sergio Pérez Had No Chance of Matching Max Verstappen’s Pace Due to Oversteer
The ongoing debate surrounding Sergio Pérez’s struggles at Red Bull has taken a new turn with fresh evidence suggesting that his difficulties were not due to a lack of skill but rather an inherent mismatch between his driving style and the RB20’s characteristics. A detailed analysis of official data, combined with statements from key Red Bull figures including Christian Horner, Adrian Newey, and Helmut Marko, reveals that Pérez was fighting an uphill battle due to the team’s development direction favoring Max Verstappen’s preferred driving style.
Throughout the 2024 season, Pérez found himself increasingly unable to match Verstappen’s blistering pace. While many speculated about internal favoritism or conspiracy theories, the reality is rooted in fundamental technical differences. Verstappen thrives in a car with oversteer, a setup that makes the rear of the car more nervous and responsive to aggressive inputs. This allows him to rotate the car quickly through corners, capitalizing on his exceptional reflexes and control. On the other hand, Pérez, like drivers such as Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, prefers a more stable rear end with understeer, enabling a smoother corner entry and a more controlled exit.
Red Bull’s relentless pursuit of performance inevitably led to a car setup that favored Verstappen’s strengths. Adrian Newey, the team’s chief technical officer, admitted that as the 2024 car evolved from its 2023 predecessor, it became increasingly difficult to drive. While Verstappen adapted seamlessly, Pérez struggled to find confidence, resulting in inconsistent performances.
Christian Horner acknowledged Red Bull’s attempts to support Pérez, stating that the team remained loyal to him and wanted him to regain his form. However, the realities of a top-tier Formula 1 team meant that the focus remained on maximizing championship potential. Verstappen’s ability to extract the most from an oversteer-prone car solidified his status as the number one driver, leading to Pérez being left behind in the team’s development trajectory.
Helmut Marko further emphasized the role of car behavior in Pérez’s struggles. He pointed out that in early 2022, when the RB18 was overweight and exhibited more understeer, Pérez was highly competitive, even securing wins. However, as Red Bull refined the car to be lighter and more oversteer-prone, Verstappen’s advantage became more pronounced. Marko candidly stated that high-performance F1 cars tend to favor oversteer, as they allow for a more aggressive and faster driving approach, which Verstappen exploits to perfection.
Ultimately, Pérez’s struggles were less about favoritism and more about an unavoidable technical discrepancy. Red Bull was always going to develop the car in a direction that maximized its championship chances, which meant catering to Verstappen’s needs. While Pérez remains a skilled and accomplished driver, his natural style simply does not align with the Red Bull philosophy. Unless the team makes significant adjustments to accommodate his preferences, he will continue to face an uphill battle against his relentless teammate.
This revelation shifts the conversation from speculation to factual analysis. It underscores the harsh realities of Formula 1, where milliseconds define success, and teams must prioritize performance over sentiment. Whether Pérez can adapt to the ever-evolving Red Bull machine remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: in a car designed for Verstappen, the odds were never in his favor.
