"They ask a lot of questions"- Red Bull strategy engineer on Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez's interest in understanding team's game plan

Red Bull's principal strategy engineer Hannah Schmitz has said that both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez show a lot of interest in team strategy.

Making an appearance on the 'Red Bull: Beyond the Ordinary' podcast, Schmitz said that apart from team strategy, both drivers are also interested in the pace analysis and the team's game plan before races.

“They are definitely both very interested in understanding the strategy and the plans you are putting forward," said Schmitz. "They are also really interested in all the pace analysis and everything that’s going on and they ask a lot of questions, so they are definitely engaged."

Admiring both drivers, Schmitz added that she hasn't worked with a bad driver in her career. Touching on the importance of a good strategy in races, she said:

“I would say, though, I think I’ve never worked with a bad driver, or one that’s not interested, because at the end of the day, the strategy can have a lot of impact on the race.”

The Red Bull strategist talked about how the team has an environment where discussion is the most important thing. That helps everyone in giving their inputs which helps refine the team's strategy for qualifying and race day. She said:

“The race engineers obviously work really closely with their individual drivers; they understand them and how to give them the information they need. As strategists, we also brief them, so we have briefings throughout the weekend, the main ones being pre-qualifying and pre-race."

She added:

“We find it’s good for it to be more like a discussion, so we’ll say ‘this is our plan,’ and we’ll ask for people’s opinions on things and make sure people are involved and know the reasoning behind things we are going to do because we find it really useful to be able to work as a team and get the most points as a team.”

Red Bull (431) lead Ferrari by almost 100 points in the 2022 constructor standings. Max Verstappen (258) leads his third-placed teammate Perez (173) in the driver's standings.

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Max Verstappen's Red Bull teammate talks about what stands out in team

Max Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez was recently questioned about what he felt was the one thing that sets Red Bull aside from the other teams he has worked with. Perez said that the team's quest for perfection stands out. He said:

"I think the level of perfection the team is searching for every weekend. If we win that weekend, there are so many things we can do better. We are always pushing hard (to) all the limits, and I think Red Bull, as a team, is unique in that regard."

He added:

"Red Bull is very different to any other team. Every team is different. Every one has good things and bad things. But certainly, I'm very happy to be part of this (at Red Bull)."

Sergio Perez trails his teammate by almost 100 points in the driver's standings. It did appear for a while that Perez could be a contender against his teammate, but Max Verstappen's consistency and speed have made him the driver to beat in the circuit.