'From that you can see that Verstappen had hoped for a better car'

Irritated Verstappen

After winning his world title in 2021, the pressure is off Verstappen's shoulders. The big goal has been achieved and now he can start enjoying himself more. There is still performance to be done, of course, but with a contract through 2028, he has also committed to Red Bull Racing for the long haul.

However, the start of the 2022 Formula 1 season has not gone as the team had hoped. In terms of speed, the RB18 is not far off Ferrari's F1-75, but in terms of reliability, it leaves much to be desired. Verstappen already crashed out in Bahrain and Australia, and Sergio Perez did not finish in Bahrain either.

Perez comes closer

Surer let it be known in an interview with Formel1.de Surer says that he notices that there is irritation with Verstappen. Where the Dutchman looked relaxed during the test days, he is now impatient in the races. According to the Swiss, it has to do with the fact that Red Bull could not give him the dominant car he had hoped for.

Where Verstappen is on the limit and sometimes goes over it, Perez according to Surer follows more what the team asks of him. The Mexican stays within the limits of the car and has clearly learned from 2021. As a result, the difference between the two is considerably smaller than in the previous season.