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Red Bull boss Christian Horner believes Sergio Perez’s tire struggles this year come down to the thin margins needed to extract maximum profit from the new 18-inch compound.
Throughout the Mexican’s Formula 1 career, Perez has been known as a “tire whisperer”. The 32-year-old has earned a reputation as one of the best in terms of tire management, particularly during his time with Force India and Sauber.
Perez admits tire problems for 2022
However, the Red Bull driver admitted he had more difficulty with the new 18-inch compound. The new tires are designed to allow a driver to push more behind another driver. The Mexican confirmed this, saying:
“In terms of managing the tires during the race, I’ve struggled a bit with these tires this year.
“So hopefully that can be something that we improve on next year and generally come out stronger.”
The 32-year-old’s race in Abu Dhabi proved costly. The Mexican was forced to make an extra stop after suffering excessive wear on his front right tire earlier in the race.
many in the race thought Ferrari tricked Red Bull into giving Perez an extra stopHowever, Red Bull boss Christian Horner said the Mexican would be a “dead fly” if he didn’t play.
The extra stop also cost the Red Bull driver his second place in the drivers’ championship.mexican lost to Charles Leclerc is on track and in the championship.
Thin margins weigh on Perez’s performance
Red Bull boss Christian Horner is motor sports question Regarding Perez’s tire issue this year. The 50-year-old explains how small settings changes can have a huge impact on a tire’s performance.
“What we’ve seen this year is very profitable,” Horner said.
“You can pull the front wing out a little bit, or a little bit of ride height, or a little bit of mechanical balance, and it can make a huge difference in the life of your tires.”
The Briton concedes that Perez has continued to excel in tire management this year. Compared to Verstappen and Leclerc, however, Abu Dhabi was a race where the Mexican struggled.
The 32-year-old asked the team during the race if Verstappen could go faster with the Dutchman supporting him. That could mean the Mexican is pushing hard while his team-mate saves the tyres.
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“I think Checo races a lot and his tires are doing really well. [In Abu Dhabi] This is only the first stage of his compromise, the right forward is starting to show quite a bit of grain compared to Charles and Max [Verstappen].
“That got him out of sync where we had to pit, and that was a very compromised pit stop. So, two stops was the more aggressive race.”
Perez trailed Leclerc by less than 1.3 seconds. The Mexicans were charging, trying to make up time lost with the extra stop. However, the Red Bull driver did not have enough laps to pass Monaco.
Is Verstappen better at saving tires now?
Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko believes Max Verstappen now has the advantage over Perez in terms of tire management. The Austrian claims the Dutchman has adopted the technique, which means he can now be better than the Mexican.
Verstappen’s tire management has seen the two-time world champion win 15 races in 2022. Ferrari as a whole has struggled with tire wear and Perez has had problems with his tires this season.
“Max is gradually becoming a tire whisperer. We give him a specific plan and he executes it in the best possible way. For example, in Abu Dhabi, for Max we have assumed a one-stop shop,” Marco said.
Do you think Verstappen is better at saving tires now than Perez?
Feature image credit: Heuler Andrey via Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
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