“Lot of my struggles have been in that direction”: Sergio Perez expecting shift in luck after Red Bull’s diagnostics on RB20

Sergio Perez is hopeful that the RB20 will evolve in his direction from the 2024 Dutch GP onwards. Speaking to media, including Sportskeeda, ahead of the race weekend, the Mexican driver felt that his struggle with car development has hampered his performances for a majority of the races.

Unable to match his teammate Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez has struggled since the 2024 Miami GP. He has struggled particularly in qualifying pace, which he said was development-related. As Red Bull tried to make the RB20 quicker, the Mexican wasn't able to extract the maximum out of the car. He added that it was not like he was a better driver earlier in the season compared to now. The 34-year-old driver also said the team now has a better understanding of the car after the work done over the summer break. However, he is uncertain whether he can perform on the same level as Max Verstappen.

Asked by Sportskeeda if there were any discoveries over the summer break and if the car will evolve more in his direction over the next ten races, Sergio Perez said:

“Yeah, I think so. I think especially with the issues we've had, I've been struggling in that direction. Obviously, I cannot go too much in detail, but lots of my struggles have been in that direction. It's hard to explain the amount of detail, but it's not like in the beginning of the year, I was a much better driver than I am now, you know. So certainly there have been some things that didn't go my way, things that were hurting me more, and we were probably not extracting the maximum out of the car in that regard.”

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Sergio Perez believes Red Bull’s RB20 upgrades led to performance slump

Sergio Perez reckons Red Bull have had a good summer break understanding their car and areas it lacked in performance. Dr. Helmut Marko had called the last two upgrades on the RB20 ‘downdates.’ The six-time race winner also felt that the upgrades resulted in their performance trailing off. He said that there was work going on in the background to ensure that the car suited him better and he could maximize its potential.

Asked about the work done over the summer break and the understanding of the car after evaluating their performances, Sergio Perez said:

“I would say a very positive break for Red Bull. We were able to find a lot of stuff that I think at least we know where we are with the car right now. There's been an upgrade or two that we probably took us in the in the wrong path and I think just looking back at it, right now we know exactly how the car is working, which is a very good thing. Because I think it was not so clear in the last few races and whether we can fix it and get back to the level we had earlier, that's another question, but I think in that regard it's very positive.”

Commenting on the upgrades that Marko called ‘downdates’ on the car, Sergio Perez said:

“I think It's clear now where we are with the car. I think it's something that I also want to keep within the team, the level of detail and we will be working on it. I mean, you will see obviously what we're going to be doing with the cars. But it's something that will stay with the team, but certainly we've taken somewhere a turn that wasn't right.”

While Sergio Perez has retained his drive for 2024 and won’t be replaced mid-season, the next ten races are going to be a litmus test for him to retain his seat for 2025. With Red Bull Racing’s constructors' title under threat, it will be critically important for the Mexican driver to deliver strong results. As it stands, the gap between the Dutch champion and his teammate is 146 points. While the drivers' title is safe at the moment, McLaren is only 41 points behind Red Bull in the constructors' championship.