Verstappen now feeling my Red Bull pain – Perez

Sergio Perez believes Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen is being given a taste of the misery he has been experiencing over the past few months.

Perez’s form has tailed off alarmingly since finishing on the podium in four of the first five grands prix, with the Mexican enduring his longest run – of 11 races – without a top-three finish since joining Red Bull in 2021, heavily compromising the team’s defence of its constructors’ title.

In contrast, Verstappen was seemingly cruising to a fourth successive drivers’ championship after winning seven of the initial 10 races, despite a rare retirement in Australia with a brake issue, and finishing sixth in Monaco.

Verstappen, however, is now without a win in the past six races, with only two podiums in that period, his leanest victory drought since 2020, resulting in his lead in the standings whittled down to 62 points over McLaren’s Lando Norris.

It has emerged the RB20 has severe disconnected balance issues that have been prevalent since the Miami Grand Prix, where Perez’s podium-less run commenced.

The problems resulted in Verstappen expressing incredulity after the Italian Grand Prix that Red Bull had turned the most-dominant car in F1 history – the RB19 from last season – into “a monster”.

Perez belief Red Bull has ‘solution’

Reflecting on his own troubles, but also highlighting the position Verstappen is also in, Perez said: “I really feel like I’m in the same boat as I’ve been in for the last eight, 10 races.

“But now all of a sudden Max has come into similar issues, so a little bit of a confusion there but it is clear in the data where the problem is.”

Verstappen has also confirmed to Fox Sports Mexico that he and Perez are “struggling with the same things right now. There is no real difference about that”.

Perez, though, is “very confident” the team “at track and back at home have the solution”.

He added: “We have produced great cars in the past and there is no reason why we cannot get back on track. We have no questions now, we know the problem.

“Given it is all related to balance, if we can find a fix then we can switch it around but for now, it’s head down until we find the answer.”