Red Bull says it’s doubling down on its efforts to optimize its RB20 Formula 1 car for both of its drivers, aiming to help Sergio Perez overcome recent struggles and ultimately enhance overall team performance.
While Max Verstappen has been extracting maximum performance from Red Bull’s contender, Perez has faced challenges in consistently matching his teammate’s pace.
The end result has seen the Dutchman enjoy a comfortable lead in the Drivers’ championship while Red Bull only holds a 42-point advantage over McLaren in the Constructors’ standings due to Perez’s significant shortfall.
Despite this, Red Bull’s senior management has opted to support Perez rather than replace the Mexican for the second back half of the season.
The team's focus is now on developing the car in a way that suits both Perez and Verstappen, which they believe will lead to a faster car overall according to technical director Pierre Waché.
“What we want is the quickest car, but in a way that can be used by the drivers, that is the main aim,” explained the Frenchman.
“If we make the car quicker in a way that Checo can use it, that means that both drivers will be able to extract the maximum out of it.”
While acknowledging potential differences in driving styles, Waché emphasized that the car's development should cater to both drivers.
“Even if both drivers have different needs or preferences, the requirements for the car are still very similar,” he added.
“Fundamentally it’s the same. For sure there can be differences in driving styles, but we will not use the development of the car for that. We will use the set-up of the car.”
Red Bull Racing technical director Pierre Waché.
In a bid to help Perez, Red Bull has been analyzing his performance to identify specific areas for improvement, but Waché admitted that accurately replicating the car's behavior in simulations was a challenge.
“We try to see some tendencies, but it is very difficult to highlight them because last year he was struggling as well sometimes, so it is difficult for us to find,” he said.
“The main problem we have is that we try to reproduce the car and all these things in simulations, but it doesn’t mean that it simulates exactly what the car is doing in all conditions.
“The interaction with the tyres is very difficult to reproduce, even if we try our best. Improving these areas is an important part of our process.”
Waché attributed part of Perez's struggles to the car's balance characteristics, a challenge faced by several teams under the current ground effect regulations.
“That is just a risk with these types of regulations,” explained the Red Bull technical director. “It is what we have seen from some other teams as well.
“Mercedes for example have said that the balance was a big issue for them in previous years. Even McLaren had it at the beginning of this season.
“The balance with these cars is quite tricky to achieve, because if you create downforce in a specific area of the car that you cannot rebalance mechanically, then it is difficult to use that gain.”
As Red Bull continues to refine its RB20, the hope is that its efforts will allow both Perez and Verstappen to maximize their performances in the second half of the season, thereby securing the team’s position at the top of the championship standings.
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