Red Bull in 2023: Close to perfection

It was necessary to go back to 1988 and the diabolical McLaren-Honda MP4/4 to find a similar domination. Throughout the season, only one victory had eluded them back then. And as a symbol, it was at Monza that Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost failed to give Woking an undefeated season…in favor of Ferrari.

Here is a common point quickly found with the Red Bull RB19 of 2023: of rare efficiency and equipped with an implacable overall speed, the Austrian firm has imitated McLaren in 1988, only missing out on victory in one race. It was in Singapore, which, like Mercedes at the time, became the hell for dominant machines… once again in favor of Ferrari. The past likes to remind us… but with some nuances nonetheless.

Car performance

Without going to the extreme and saying that the RB19 was absolute perfection, it was certainly not far off: Max Verstappen (much more than Sergio Pérez) did not need to push his talent more than necessary because his car provided him with so much comfort.

The arrival of the Dutchman at Red Bull Racing coincided with a very specific philosophy: a preference for oversteer, which is now favored by the three-time world champion. And even then, the oversteer wasn’t obvious, as this machine was a monster of grip and power.

Red Bull, under the guidance of Adrian Newey, simply accomplished what other cars couldn’t achieve: balance in all areas. This means that the mechanical grip was well distributed enough not to hinder the top speed of the Honda engine (which, by the way, reversed its decision not to participate in F1). In short, the RB19 was strong across the board and inherently unbeatable when used to its full potential.

However, this technical arrangement had a downside: while Max Verstappen could have single-handedly won the constructors’ championship, what’s the point of having two cars if only one driver manages to use it to its full potential? Sergio Perez is the complete opposite of Max Verstappen: a smooth and economical style of driving, who worked wonders with Sauber (2012) and Force India at the time, but didn’t manage to find the right formula with the best F1 car on the grid.

Djeddah and Baku have been successful for him, but the fake internal struggle for the title was quickly extinguished. This can be reminiscent of Honda’s determination in MotoGP, where they put all their bets on the diabolical Marc Marquez. And when he got injured in Jerez, the consequences of such a choice quickly turned against the Japanese manufacturer. Perhaps Pérez will find satisfaction with the RB20.

Reliability

The “worst” in all of this is that Red Bull had the audacity to be a work of art in terms of reliability. In races, not once did the mechanics betray the Red Bull drivers. You just had to go back to the qualifications in Saudi Arabia, when the gearbox had let Max Verstappen down in Q2. Nothing too serious for him.

Some technical flaws also deprived the Dutchman of a good placement in Miami, where he won the Grand Prix with an almost sickening ease compared to the rest of the grid.

Sergio Pérez has only experienced retirements due to collisions: from his ordeal in Suzuka or the unfortunate accident with Charles Leclerc in the first corner, to his home race in Mexico. As for his world champion teammate, he has not had any retirements recorded: he even missed the podium only in Singapore, resulting in a score of 21 out of 22, including 19 victories. In this regard, he could have emulated a certain Michael Schumacher in 2002 (100% podium finish rate).

Duels between teammates

Qualifications – Verstappen: 19; Perez: 3

Course – Verstappen: 20; Perez: 2

The comparison is really embarrassing. Several things need to be taken into account in this clear domination of his teammate. The first is obviously Max Verstappen’s raw talent, capable of brushing the walls of Monaco to secure a pole position. The second is the tailor-made setup of the car for the one who brings in the victories and titles, as Red Bull and its technical director Pierre Waché explain, it is currently only optimizable for one of the drivers.

Sergio Pérez is not of the same caliber as his teammate, but it must be said that his season has been a real nightmare, worse even than 2022. Guilty of numerous mistakes, he has shown himself to be susceptible to pressure, thinking he could compete with his teammate in the long run. This season must certainly have led to a major reassessment, especially when the shadow of Daniel Ricciardo looms over the Mexican’s seat for next year.

Fortunately for him, even a mediocre season, considering the potential of his machine, allowed him to become vice-world champion. Shows you never know…

That being said, Sergio Pérez did not become a bad driver just because Max Verstappen dominated him on all fronts. The Dutchman and Red Bull also seem to have short memories: without the Mexican, who knows if the former could have stolen the crown from Lewis Hamilton two years ago.

The native of Guadalajara should however have a machine that suits him better, so that Red Bull can have two assets up its sleeve in case of a quick return (but highly unlikely) from the competition. Because if he was able to do things well at Racing Point during his first victory, there is no reason why his abilities have vanished. On the other hand, motivation and confidence may have taken a hit.

From there to imagine that he could finally play for the title would be to put one’s finger in one’s eye. The coming year will be decisive. But all of this is far from the concerns of a very serene Max Verstappen.