Pierre Waché, technical director of Red Bull, aims for perfection: “we have failed.”
If there is one thing on which every Formula 1 spectator agrees, it is having witnessed the undisputed dominance of Red Bull and its RB19 this season. Everyone, except one person who does not share this view. Pierre Waché, technical director of Red Bull, believes that the RB19 lacked a major aspect in 2023.
Red Bull had a dominant season as the team won 21 out of the 22 races. The RB-19 was impeccable in the majority of sectors. However, Pierre Wache, the technical director, revealed a few weaknesses of the winning RB19.
Wache insisted that the car had not reached its maximum potential. He explained how Max Verstappen was able to extract every ounce from the vehicle, while Sergio Perez failed to reproduce the same performance as Verstappen. It was a failure in Pierre Wache’s book, as he expected both drivers to drive the dominant RB19 in the same form and achieve a perfect season in 2023.
« A fast car is a car that allows the driver to perform at their maximum. In this respect, we failed because only one driver, Max in this case, could handle the situation well. It’s Max’s talent. »
The Frenchman also explained how Verstappen managed to effectively utilize the car throughout the season in various challenging conditions. Meanwhile, Waché did not hesitate to admit that the team did not meet Checo’s needs in terms of the car. According to him, Pérez could have also used the RB19 to its full potential if Red Bull had better understood Pérez’s car requirements.
« Max Verstappen was able to use the car well throughout the season and in different conditions. On the other hand, we, in turn, may not have understood Checo well in terms of what he needs to also exploit the potential of the RB19 ».
