Sergio Perez suggested he could benefit more than teammate Max Verstappen from any fix to the car issues that have slowed Formula One champions Red Bull.
The Mexican also told reporters before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix the problems may have been masked by the drivers' different styles.
Red Bull and once-dominant triple champion Verstappen are on a six-race losing streak, with the Dutch driver finishing sixth in past round's Italian Grand Prix, won by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
Holding an eight-point lead over McLaren in the constructors' standings with eight more races left, Red Bull risk falling behind their rivals in Baku as the season enters its final long-haul phase.
McLaren's Lando Norris is 62 points behind Verstappen in the drivers' battle, while Perez — seventh in the standings — has failed to finish in the top three in the past 11 rounds.
Asked about Verstappen's recent remarks on the Red Bull's performance, Perez said his team probably did not notice the severity of the problems with Verstappen “coping well with them”.
“It wasn't so obvious, the issue, with [Max's] driving style, where with my driving style it all became a lot more apparent probably since race number three of the season,” added the Mexican.
“The issues I was having got worse and worse and now Max seems to be finding similar issues.
"[Resolving the issue] is something that will help both drivers. It will help me even more because of the driving style I have,” he said.
Red Bull chief engineer Paul Monaghan, speaking on Friday about the car's upgraded floor, hoped to see an improvement in Sunday's race.
“We've licked our wounds, learnt our lessons. Well, the proof in the pudding will be on Sunday, but we have tried to bring changes to the car and make it better,” he said.
Perez says different driving styles have masked Red Bull struggles
Image: Dan Mullan/Getty Images
Sergio Perez suggested he could benefit more than teammate Max Verstappen from any fix to the car issues that have slowed Formula One champions Red Bull.
The Mexican also told reporters before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix the problems may have been masked by the drivers' different styles.
Red Bull and once-dominant triple champion Verstappen are on a six-race losing streak, with the Dutch driver finishing sixth in past round's Italian Grand Prix, won by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
Holding an eight-point lead over McLaren in the constructors' standings with eight more races left, Red Bull risk falling behind their rivals in Baku as the season enters its final long-haul phase.
McLaren's Lando Norris is 62 points behind Verstappen in the drivers' battle, while Perez — seventh in the standings — has failed to finish in the top three in the past 11 rounds.
Asked about Verstappen's recent remarks on the Red Bull's performance, Perez said his team probably did not notice the severity of the problems with Verstappen “coping well with them”.
“It wasn't so obvious, the issue, with [Max's] driving style, where with my driving style it all became a lot more apparent probably since race number three of the season,” added the Mexican.
“The issues I was having got worse and worse and now Max seems to be finding similar issues.
"[Resolving the issue] is something that will help both drivers. It will help me even more because of the driving style I have,” he said.
Red Bull chief engineer Paul Monaghan, speaking on Friday about the car's upgraded floor, hoped to see an improvement in Sunday's race.
“We've licked our wounds, learnt our lessons. Well, the proof in the pudding will be on Sunday, but we have tried to bring changes to the car and make it better,” he said.
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