Speculations are swirling in Formula 1 as Antonio Pérez Garibay, father of former Red Bull driver Sergio Perez, suggests that his son’s car differed significantly from Max Verstappen’s during last season.
Antonio Pérez Garibay has stirred controversy by claiming that the Red Bull cars driven by Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez last year were ‘not the same.’ His comments came during a discussion on the Formula de 2 podcast, where he boldly stated, ‘What I’m about to say will cause a lot of commotion, but the car with number 1 [Verstappen] was not the same as the car with number 11 [Perez].’ He argued that even if Verstappen were to drive Perez’s car, he wouldn’t perform well, suggesting that the vehicle itself was a decisive factor in performance.
The claim follows a challenging season for Sergio Perez, whose struggles on the track were highlighted by him scoring only a third of the points achieved by Verstappen. While Verstappen secured his fourth consecutive Drivers’ Championship, Perez finished the season in a distant eighth place, scoring a mere nine points in the final eight Grand Prix weekends. This stark contrast reportedly contributed to Red Bull’s decision to replace Perez with Liam Lawson for the 2024 season.
However, Lawson’s tenure was short-lived as well. After just two races, during which he experienced three Q1 exits and failed to score points, Red Bull decided to drop Lawson, shifting him to the Racing Bulls team. This decision surprised Lawson, who shared his reaction with Sky F1, saying, ‘It was definitely a shock, honestly. It’s not something that I saw coming.’ Yuki Tsunoda has since taken up the Red Bull seat, debuting at his home race in Japan.
Amid all these changes, Antonio Perez hopes that Yuki Tsunoda will receive equal equipment compared to Verstappen. He wishes for Red Bull to provide Tsunoda with the best car possible, especially given the importance of performing well in front of Japanese fans. ‘They cannot disappoint the Japanese fans,’ he emphasized, advocating for equal opportunity within the team.
The claims of car disparity continue to fuel discussions in the Formula 1 community. With Red Bull’s volatile driver lineup changes and the potential differences in car performance, the team’s dynamics have become an ongoing topic of conversation. Whether Antonio Pérez Garibay’s assertions hold any truth remains an open question, but they have undeniably added another layer of intrigue to the sport.
With the Formula 1 season underway, the debate about whether all drivers receive equal machinery remains unresolved. Antonio Pérez Garibay’s statements about car discrepancies have injected fresh controversy into an already unpredictable sport, highlighting the challenges faced by drivers in achieving success on the track.
