Red Bull sees 'encouraging' signs from Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez's F1 pre-season testing notes

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is quite happy with how similar Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen's testing notes on the RB19 were.

During pre-season testing, several F1 drivers make notes about their new car. This helps them convey their learnings about the car more clearly to the team.

According to Formula1.com, Christian Horner explained how Sergio Perez's testing notes were quite similar and consistent with those of Max Verstappen. This proves that the development route that Red Bull took with the RB19 will help both drivers perform well.

Speaking about the team's pre-season testing notes, Horner said:

“It’s been pretty consistent with Max’s, which is always refreshing to hear. So therefore the development of the car and the direction that we’ll be looking to optimize the car in future races is consistent between both sides of the garage, so that’s encouraging.”

Last season, Checo was not as strong as Verstappen simply because the developments that took place during the 2022 F1 season somewhat helped the Dutchman and his driving style. Since each driver's style is different, Perez faced some issues and was unable to finish second in the drivers' championship.

This year, Perez himself was quite pleased with the new Red Bull car and was eager to jump back in and start racing.

Though he felt the RB19 was similar to the RB18 in many ways, there were some minor differences that would result in marginal performance gains. He recently praised the team back in Milton Keynes for working hard and creating such a stable and reliable car, saying:

"The team did an exceptional job. The factory worked really hard over the winter. We definitely have a good base car to work with. I think we have a good understanding of the new car. I think we got the maximum out of it and analyzed a lot of the set-up and tires. We basically got our program done."

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Helmut Marko claims that Red Bull's RB19 will suit both Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko recently spoke about how this year's Red Bull car will suit Sergio Perez as well as Max Verstappen. He explained how Checo was able to perform well in the beginning, but as the season went on, the development route helped Verstappen's driving style more.

Speaking to Sky Sports Germany, Dr. Marko said:

"We had a car last year that 'Checo' (Sergio Perez) did very well with at the beginning, and after it was developed further, Max (Verstappen) had been happier and happier. The difference is Max loves a strong front end, really biting."

"Checo is a little different. He wants a more docile car. We seem to have found a solution here now that lets both drivers play out their qualities."

It is no secret that Verstappen is a much stronger driver than Perez. However, the new RB19 might give the Mexican a chance to fight for the top spot.