Ex-Ferrari Insider Reveals Red Bull’s Secret Tactic To Explain Performance Downturn

Ever since the thunderous fight between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton in the 2021 season of Formula 1, Red Bull has come up to be a formidable force in the sports franchise. With two back-to-back World Constructors’ Championship titles, it is quite evident that the Milton-Keynes outfit has one of the best cars on the grid. In 2023, the RB-19 had a top speed that no other car from the rival teams could match up to. However, the invincible image of Red Bull has somewhat fallen apart ever since the release of the RB-20.

Right before the start of the 2024 F1 season, the Red Bull unveiled the RB-20. At that time, many thought it would be as invulnerable as its predecessor when it comes to winning races. But gone are the days when Max Verstappen won the Grands Prix with a massive gap of over 20 seconds from whoever ran in P2. At the Emilia Romagna GP, Lando Norris‘ McLaren had almost caught up with the Dutchman’s RB-20, and Max could win the race with just a margin of 0.725s over Norris.

In Monaco, Charles Leclerc was obviously much faster than Max Verstappen, as the Ferrari racer took the crown in his hometown. Verstappen did not even come in the top 3 but was down in the sixth position at the historic Circuit de Monaco. At the recently held Canadian GP, Red Bull did manage to put Verstappen on the top step of the podium, but Lando Norris was only 3.879s behind him. Thus, it is clear that Max Verstappen’s Red Bull car is not the outright fastest car in F1 right now, and as per ex-Ferrari manager Peter Windsor, an insider has spilled the beans on the reason behind this.

While speaking on an analysis video for his own YouTube channel, Peter Windsor revealed a bit of information he had gleaned from a Ferrari insider whom he did not name. The 72-year-old F1 journalist spoke about Red Bull’s seeming lack of pace by saying, “I’m not going to mention his name, but I was talking to a Ferrari guy after Emil and he said Red Bull are just playing. And they’re making it a lot more interesting than it would otherwise be.”

Peter Windsor also dished out other details about Sergio Perez, the other Red Bull driver besides Max Verstappen. The Briton said he believes the Mexican’s renewal at the Milton-Keynes outfit was always on the cards because of the sponsorship packages he brings with him.

Peter Windsor believes Sergio Perez’s contract renewal with Red Bull was bound to happen

Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez came into Red Bull in 2021, and prior to this, the Mexican had found success at Racing Point. Checo has been a formidable force that helped Max Verstappen attain his maiden World Championship in his first year with the Austrian outfit. But Perez’s repeated failure at matching up to Verstappen’s speed despite them having the same Red Bull car cannot be overlooked.

According to Windsor, Sergio Perez had enough instances of poor performance in 2023 when he finished 290 points behind his teammate. But Red Bull still renewed him for another two seasons because of some financial concerns. He said, “As I say, you know, it’s a lot of money to be saying goodbye to in terms of the package or responses that he brings indirectly through Mexican affiliates of large American companies or indeed other companies. That’s a big thing to say goodbye to. So I think if they were going to not renew his contract, they would have done so based on some of the poor performances already.”

Indeed, Sergio Perez is a huge name in Mexico and it seems he will get a chance to make history if he wins the F1 Championship next year. As of now, Checo stands at the fifth spot on the Drivers’ Championship with a gap of only one point from Carlos Sainz. Do you think he can improve on his current position so that he can get to the top of the Championship in his RB-20?