Why Perez’s new-era F1 promise has deteriorated into disappointment
OPINION: Having earned a two-year extension to his Red Bull Racing contract, Sergio Perez appeared to have cracked the team's hoodoo over its second seat. But of late the Mexican's form relative to Max Verstappen has been disappointing, which could put him at risk of losing the race for third in the drivers' standings to George Russell.
It would make the life of a Formula 1 team that bit easier if their drivers didn’t have pesky preferences and a personality all of their own in the cockpit. Total uniformity to fall perfectly in line with the data is the ideal. Just not very often the reality.
Williams was perhaps a little fortunate last weekend in the circumstances. The team credited a small portion of Nyck de Vries’ stellar Italian Grand Prix cameo to him only requiring minor set-up tweaks compared to the seat’s usual occupant Alex Albon. The Thai-Brit, in turn, has a broadly similar driving style to teammate Nicholas Latifi. That meant a good baseline understanding to help Formula E champion de Vries plug in and play.
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