Sergio Perez reveals big Red Bull RB20 wish to reel in Max Verstappen

Lamenting for two years running that Red Bull’s upgrades took the car away from his driving style, Sergio Perez hopes next year’s RB20 will have a “little bit nicer balance on my side”.

Perez is 0-3 when it comes to World titles as Max Verstappen’s team-mate with the Dutchman claiming his third on the trot in the 2023 championship.

In a season in which Verstappen destroyed Red Bull’s rivals, he did the same to Perez as he stormed to 19 wins to the Mexican driver’s two and outscored him by 575 points to 285.

Sergio Perez reveals his 2023 hope for the RB20

Percentage-wise it wasn’t the biggest defeat ever in Formula 1’s history, but it was the biggest of the modern era at 50.4%.

It had Perez, who started the season with two wins in four races but couldn’t add a third to his tally, claiming Red Bull’s upgrades moved the car away from his driving style.

“I had to change my driving style a bit to adapt to the car more than in the beginning of the season when things were coming more naturally,” he said.

“But that’s something that most drivers at some point we go through.”

But given that it was the second year in a row in which Perez felt Red Bull’s development favoured Verstappen, he’s hoping next year it’s “on my side”.

“It’s been dominant for Red Bull [this year] but it was quite tough for me. I’m sure we’re going to have a great car again next year,” he told the media including PlanetF1.com.

“Hopefully [with] a little bit nicer balance on my side, we can keep this going.”

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Perez chances advantage at ‘pain in the ass’ test

Perez’s determination to regain his lost form and challenge Verstappen next season meant the Mexican driver put in an extra day in the RB19 in the post-season Abu Dhabi test.

Verstappen opted to sit it out, saying “no, luckily not” when asked at the season finale if he’d be back in action on the Tuesday.

Perez, though, felt it was worth it.

“It’s always a pain in the ass to end up doing it, but it’s so much learning and so productive as well,” said the 33-year-old.

“It’s good and important to put in the time, I think it’s been another productive day.

“And I think especially coming out of a race, everything is really fresh. The circuit was very representative, especially in the afternoon.

“So plenty of productive testing and good information for next year. All in all, it’s a good way to finish the year.

“It’s very important to be able to have this sort of day together with the team because we take some homework home that we are able to work on and be productive.”

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