How Perez has been better for Red Bull in 2022

"It’s a massive day for myself, for my country."

What a difference a week made for Sergio Perez. From a team orders row in Spain and questions about his chances of ever getting a fair crack at what is, understandably, perceived to be Max Verstappen’s Red Bull squad, to the top step of the podium at the Monaco Grand Prix and with a fresh contract extension. In the process, he became Mexico’s most successful Formula 1 driver – now leads Pedro Rodriguez with three world championship F1 race victories to two.

There was a certain ambivalence towards what Red Bull did to Perez at Barcelona. Although it risked wrecking his morale by twice denying him in favour of Verstappen and asking him to move aside for the Dutchman after the world champion’s error in the wind, Red Bull’s choices had a cold, hard logic.

PLUS: The danger for Red Bull in its Barcelona F1 team orders choice

Too often since joining the team last year he has qualified down the order, allowed slower cars to slip in between him and Verstappen, failed to beat key rivals or lost ground early in races. He qualified behind George Russell’s Mercedes in Spain. In doing so he left himself open to being exploited - and was.

But what a response in Monaco.

Perez started the event by patiently answering questions about the Barcelona team orders saga when he faced the press on Friday and it’s worth noting his long-standing professionalism and willingness to prioritise his teams and their staff. This is, after all, the driver who took legal action against his own Force India team in an effort to save it.

Perez in Monaco showed no signs of being brow-beaten after giving up the lead to Verstappen in Spain

Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images

That risked reputational damage, but Perez prevailed – only to be unceremoniously dumped by Lawrence Stroll’s Racing Point ahead of its Aston Martin rebrand. But he landed in the perfect position at Red Bull and his victory tally since joining now matches the total the former Jordan team has scored this millennium…

Perez’s performance in Monaco was sparkling from the off as he barely trailed home hero Charles Leclerc in opening practice, before leading FP3 and looking to be Leclerc’s closest outside challenger for pole. Perez cut far from the browbeaten figure we suggested following his Spain snubs.

In scoring the results he did last weekend, Perez managed to make Verstappen look distinctly average – and considering just how incredibly good a driver we’re discussing here, that is quite an achievement. There were three key reasons for this and an aspect that is more phenomenon than anything else.

Perez's Monaco triumph sits alongside his excellent Jeddah pole and likely lost win there. He just needs to remove the more regular low moments, which made his life harder at Imola and in Spain

First, the Red Bull package was understeering considerably around the Principality. Verstappen, with his penchant for a strong front end that means his sheer overwhelming talent and will mean the resulting oversteer can be tamed and still be rapid, spent practice and most of qualifying trying to dial it out.

His lack of car balance meant “you can’t attack the corners” and he was fine-tuning Red Bull’s adjustments throughout qualifying. Verstappen still wasn’t happy come the final runs in Q3, his team radio tone suggested the decision to attempt a push-slow-push programme had a hint of desperation. Perez knew he needed just one run at the critical moment of the weekend.

But Perez’s Q3 crash cost Verstappen, given he’d just gone only 0.1 seconds slower than the flying Leclerc in the first sector. And adding up all the best sectors all the drivers produced in qualifying would’ve had Verstappen second on the grid behind his title rival.

Starting fourth, especially when the rain came down and the FIA ordered a safety car start, Monaco’s tight confines and processional nature meant he was essentially trapped in a situation where he could look no better and his team-mate would come out on top. How high Perez climbed was largely down to Ferrari letting Leclerc down, although of course the Mexican did have to seize the moment.

PLUS: The six key moments that meant Perez won Leclerc's Monaco GP

Perez had the upper-hand in qualifying, with Verstappen struggling to dial out understeer, although his crash prevented a likely improvement from the reigning world champion

Photo by: Alessio Morgese

Whatever result Verstappen might've scored had Perez not crashed in qualifying will never be known – the same as Leclerc's hopes of a calm home win evaporating in the pre-race deluge. Incidentally, while the FIA’s decision to delay the start and mandate tyre choices for an initial rolling start was very underwhelming, it didn’t help that explanations regarding those that weren’t offered in real time (surely the governing body’s newly-installed VAR race control system could do that?) and allowed vexations to build among onlookers.

But F1 does know just how good Perez was in Monaco and he is now deservingly listed amongst the exclusive club of winners at the championship’s hardest and most prestigious race. How many more will get the chance to add their names seemingly depends on the Automobile Club de Monaco and F1 agreeing new commercial and operating terms before 2023.

As well as thriving with the RB18’s understeer last weekend, Perez bounced back tremendously from his Q3 error when other drivers might’ve suffered a major confidence knock. His Monaco triumph sits alongside his excellent Jeddah pole and likely lost win there. He just needs to remove the more regular low moments, which made his life harder at Imola and in Spain.

Red Bull is adamant that Perez has raised his level in 2022. It puts that down to a fundamental difference from last year. Simply put, per Red Bull chief engineer Paul Monaghan, the RB18 is a car “that he can drive” even if it’s “not always to his liking”.

That’s a big step from 2021, where Perez struggled to go his own way on car set-up and needed lengthy simulator sessions to start to get closer to Verstappen’s level late in the year.

“I wouldn't say [the RB18] is particularly difficult car, I wouldn't say it's an easy car,” adds Monaghan. “[In Monaco] the ebb and flow was that Checo was very with it and liked it.”

The last ultra-high-downforce Red Bull had been built to suit Verstappen’s preferences and Perez just had to cope with it. That task did for Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon at the crack Red Bull squad, but Perez, while not ultimately at one with the RB16B in 2021, did enough to back Verstappen up to a maiden title.

Shining as he is right now in Red Bull’s first ground effect car, Perez has earned the two-year extension to his contract that will keep him at the team to the end of 2024 - and there has been simply no reason for the team to even consider disrupting its Verstappen/Perez alliance.

Perez is more comfortable with the 2022 Red Bull and his performances have earned him a two-year contract extension

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool