F1 News: Sergio Perez Pushes Red Bull in a New Direction

The Red Bull driver says he has pushed the team in a "certain direction" for the 2023 season.

Red Bull Formula 1's Sergio Perez has revealed that he has attempted to influence the design of the team's new RB19 car to better suit his driving style. Perez joined Red Bull for the 2021 season, replacing Alex Albon, but, like his predecessors, found it challenging to keep up with team-mate Max Verstappen and get the best out of the team's machinery.

With the introduction of new ground effect regulations in 2022, Perez made a strong start. He secured pole position in Saudi Arabia and a memorable victory at the Monaco Grand Prix, which coincided with the announcement of his new two-year contract with Red Bull, set to run until 2024.

However, as Red Bull continued to reduce the weight of the car, it allowed Verstappen to fine-tune the machine to his preferred set-up, resulting in improved lap times. In contrast, Perez confessed that as the car underwent further development, he became less comfortable with the vehicle than he had been at the beginning of the season.

Despite a strong finish to the 2022 season, Perez fell short in his battle for second place in the driver's championship, losing out to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. The Mexican driver was asked at the Red Bull RB19 launch if he has been able to develop on the issues he found last year. 

He responded:

"Yes, certainly. There are things that we are going to work on.

"We believe that the car is already going to be better. I've been pushing the team in a certain direction, and we believe we're heading in that direction.

"But we'll see. Once we get the car, it's all about adapting ourselves to the car and try to maximise it."

Perez accepted blame for some of his struggles during the 2022 season, and declared that by the conclusion of the year, his side of the garage had gained insight into the mistakes made in regards to the car's configuration.

"Learning from the mistakes we did, I think sometimes we took the wrong direction with the set-up and that's very important for us to understand.

"I think we figured out towards the end of the season what we were doing with the car, so that's been crucial for us.

"And I think we are we are heading in the right direction with it."