F1 News
'Max Verstappen made the call to Red Bull: 'Build a new car''
- Ludo van Denderen
At Red Bull Racing, the alarms are ringing. The Austrian team are now well aware that something has to change about the RB20 and if not, their season could finish disappointingly. As drivers, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez are heavily involved in the direction the team needs to take. For instance, Perez is currently at the factory in Milton Keynes to work in the simulator. Verstappen had the necessary meetings with the engineers, in which the Dutchman is said to have made a clear statement.
At least, that is what Robert Doornbos believes he knows; The former Red Bull Racing driver and current analyst at Ziggo Sport said that Verstappen had been asked in a Zoom meeting about what he wanted to see changed about the car? To that, according to Doornbos, the Dutchman is said to have said, "I cannot share more information with you. This is what I feel, and this is what I need. It's up to you guys. Just build another car in the next two weeks. This is obviously difficult with the cost cap, but they have a huge challenge ahead of them. They just don't know."
'Strange statement by Perez about Verstappen'
Doornbos then cited a comment made by Sergio Perez, who said he wished the gap between him and Verstappen was too big. Because - the Mexican reasoned - Verstappen should be competing for wins and not for finishing in P5 or P6; where Perez usually finds himself. Doornbos thinks this is a crazy statement from Perez.
"So he's basically saying: 'I see Max in front of me the whole race, I'm not used to that anymore. I'm used to me not seeing him anymore, and [I see] him winning, and then we'll get the championship together'. Perez, who says he is going to win the championship himself, has since returned to Mexico a long time ago. Only Papa Perez still thinks so."
This article was written in collaboration with Kada Sarkozi
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