A late crash from George Russell prevented Sergio Perez from setting a representative time at the end of qualifying. Still, even before the crash, Perez was unable to match the efforts of teammate Max Verstappen. According to the 34-year-old, not having the same upgrades as the Dutchman in COTA has been a significant factor.
Perez explains upgrade difference compared to Verstappen
With speculation about Perez’s future ongoing, a strong performance in COTA would have been top of the priority list. However, the 6-time race winner has not enjoyed the smoothest weekend in Texas.
A failure to reach SQ3 on Friday meant points were out of reach in the Sprint, and climbing the field in Sunday’s Grand Prix will also be difficult from 10th place.
That said, Perez believes that set-up changes have improved the drivability of the RB20. He approaches tomorrow’s race with optimism that a solid result is possible.
Sergio Perez: I don’t have the same upgrades
When speaking to the media post-qualifying, Perez revealed that he is not using the same upgrades as Verstappen:
“We made lots of changes, which will undoubtedly help tomorrow,” he told DAZN.
“And no, I haven’t got the same upgrades as Max. We see that a lot in the high-speed corners, there are a lot of those here.
“But in the end, the car is working well. I think we’ve progressed, and with the upgrades we’ve made it was all more positive.”
Should this be true, it is unsurprising that Red Bull would give Max Verstappen preference with their new upgrades. After all, it is the Dutchman who is fighting for the World Championship.
Based on Verstappen’s stellar performance throughout the weekend – including a commanding Sprint Race win – updates have made the RB20 more competitive.
As the defending Champions finally unlock more performance on their car, there will be even greater pressure on Sergio Perez to deliver results.
Finishing at the bottom of the front-runners will do little to convince Red Bull he deserves an extension for 2025 – especially considering the strong driver pairings at Ferrari and McLaren.
Speaking of McLaren, the Woking-based team are only 40 points ahead of Red Bull in the standings. Should the Austrian team’s performance in COTA translate in the upcoming rounds, it could certainly be said they could have defended their constructors’ title this year.
With a 185 point gap between Perez and Verstappen, it is not difficult to see that Red Bull need more firepower to win the constructors’ Championship in such a competitive field.
Heading into the American GP, Perez must find a way to show Christian Horner and Helmut Marko he is capable.
