Former F1 driver John Watson believes Sergio Perez is an “arm around the shoulder” driver when he needs support, and thinks that Red Bull going away from his preferred driving style counted against him in 2023.
Perez and Max Verstappen had an equal share of two wins each in the first four races of the season. However, Verstappen went on to secure his third consecutive World Championship while Perez, despite finishing second in the Drivers’ Championship, scored less than half of his teammate’s total points by the end of the season.
As the RB19 continued to evolve and align more with Verstappen’s strengths, former Grand Prix winner Watson suggested that Red Bull’s approach of “sort it out yourself” might not be beneficial for Perez.
John Watson shares Red Bull theory as Sergio Perez struggles in 2023
Perez will face immense pressure to perform in order to secure his seat with the reigning World Champions in 2025. Despite achieving his highest ever finish in the Drivers’ Championship last season, he is determined to narrow the gap to his teammate this time around.
According to Watson, who shares a similar driving style to Perez, he believes that taking the time to adapt to the car’s changes gradually through the simulator will be advantageous for him.
“In my opinion, some drivers require support and reassurance, while others are as resilient as tungsten and prefer to tackle challenges in their own way,” Watson explained during an episode of Motor Sport Magazine’s podcast, Centenary Stories.
I believe that in today’s Formula 1, the cars have become incredibly complex machines. A lot of the preparation for a Grand Prix now takes place in the workshops, where teams use simulations, aero engineering, and their knowledge to optimize the setup of the car.
Essentially, the team brings the car to the racetrack with what they believe to be the best possible setup. However, there are times when a driver like Sergio may not be happy with the setup.
I remember that Sergio asked if he could go back to the car that he enjoyed racing earlier in the year at one of the recent Grands Prix. Unfortunately, his request was denied.
I believe the argument would be, and this is just my speculation, that the team’s perspective is that the car has improved significantly from where it was in March or April to where it is now in September or October. It is possibly half a second quicker per lap. They are not willing to provide a car that is half a second slower per lap because they feel that you should be able to adapt to the current car or find a solution on your own.
I’m not sure what Perez has done, but perhaps he has spent more time in the simulator and gone back to a setup that he is comfortable with. By giving him that car in the simulator, he can regain his confidence and gradually make changes to improve his performance. This way, the car is not the same as before, and his level of confidence is being rebuilt.
However, I suspect that Perez, like myself and some other drivers, doesn’t prefer a car with a snappy, oversteery nose front end. He prefers to race with a car that is controlled from the rear wheel rather than the front wheel.
In my opinion, modern Formula 1 cars have a different aerodynamic philosophy and regulations that make them more front end-focused compared to the cars I used to race.
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