By Tuvan Gumrukcu
BAKU (Reuters) – Sergio Perez suggested he could benefit more than team mate Max Verstappen from any fix to the car issues that have slowed Formula One champions Red Bull.
The Mexican also told reporters ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix that the problems may have been masked by the drivers’ different styles.
Red Bull and once-dominant triple champion Verstappen are on a six-race losing streak, with the Dutch driver finishing only sixth in last round’s Italian Grand Prix, won by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Currently holding an eight point lead over McLaren in the constructors’ standings with eight more races left, Red Bull risk falling behind their rivals in Baku as the season enters its final long-haul phase.
McLaren’s Lando Norris is 62 points behind Verstappen in the drivers’ battle, while Perez — seventh in the standings — has failed to finish in the top three in the last 11 rounds.
Asked about Verstappen’s recent remarks on the Red Bull’s performance, Perez said his team probably did not notice the severity of the problems with Verstappen “coping well with them”.
“It wasn’t so obvious the issue with (Max’s) driving style, where with my driving style it all became a lot more apparent probably since race number three of the season,” added the Mexican.
“The issues I was having they just got worse and worse and now Max seems to be finding similar issues.
“(Resolving the issue) is something that will help both drivers. It will help me even more, you know, because of the driving style I have,” he said.
Red Bull chief engineer Paul Monaghan, speaking on Friday about the car’s upgraded floor, hoped to see an improvement in Sunday’s race.
“We’ve licked our wounds, learned our lessons. Well, the proof in the pudding will obviously be on Sunday, but we have tried to bring changes to the car and make it better,” he said.
(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
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