Sergio Perez remains in the spotlight at Red Bull. The Mexican apparently struggled to get closer than six or seven tenths of Max Verstappen during the Bahrain test, with Dr Helmut Marko emphasising the importance of Perez focusing on his own performance.
“Perez has to get Max out of his head and run his own program,” Marko advised, hinting at the psychological battle Perez faces in trying to match Verstappen’s blistering pace.
The speculation doesn’t stop there; there are whispers within the F1 community about the potential for Red Bull to make a significant lineup change during the 2024 season. This could potentially open doors for Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull and Liam Lawson at ‘RB’. However, Marko clarified Perez’s current standing with the team, stating, “Perez still has a contract for 2024. It’s up to him now. If he drives in a similar form to the way he competed the last few races (of 2023), we can easily start talking about an extension.”
Despite fierce competition and impressive performances from rivals like Ferrari, with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc topping the timesheets during the Bahrain test, the consensus among competitors is clear: Verstappen is the driver to beat. Fernando Alonso candidly remarked, “19 drivers already know that they will not be world champion this year,” highlighting the perceived gap between Verstappen and the rest of the field.
Sainz echoed this sentiment, recognizing the challenge of bridging the gap to Red Bull. “It is going smoothly – the right direction,” he said, regarding Ferrari’s progress. “Is it enough to beat Max? No, I don’t think so, honestly.” Sainz aspires for Ferrari to secure a solid second-place standing and to close the gap to Red Bull gradually over the season. Yet, he acknowledged, “But the reality is that, today, Red Bull is one step ahead.”
Verstappen, for his part, remained focused on the broader objectives during testing, noting, “We decided not to focus on the laptime.”
