Verstappen Favoured Over Perez In Red Bull According To Former F1 Driver Herbert

Wednesday, 31 January 2024 at 05:00

According to former F1 driver, Johnny Herbert, Max Verstappen is getting preferential treatment over Sergio Perez in Red Bull.

Over the past three seasons, Red Bull has had a shot at winning the World Drivers' Championship, and in all three of those seasons, one of the team's drivers managed to do it, and it was Max Verstappen.

On the other hand, Perez finished fourth, third, and second, and he often seems to be one step behind his teammate, who is one of the most difficult to drive alongside, due to his recent dominance.

Because of Verstappen's dominance and growing legacy, former F1 driver, Johnny Herbert feels like he's favoured in Red Bull garage, which may be hurting the Mexican driver.

Herbert recently spoke to Megadice, and he compared Perez's situation to his own when he raced alongside seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher in Benetton back in 1995.

Back then, the German driver won the World Drivers' Championship with 102 points, while Herbert finished only fourth with 45 points behind British drivers from Williams, Damon Hill and David Coulthard.

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Having experienced the situation, the 59-year-old feels that Verstappen is favored the same way Schumacher was when he drove for Benetton, and that's why he thinks it difficult for the Mexican driver to perform.

"Michael Schumacher always had favouritism over me even though we were a team, it’s hard to perform when you feel that as Sergio Perez will know."

On top of that, Herbert believes that even though Perez never publicly said that he would feel something like that, it still affects the Mexican, who faces the question on every corner.

"When that is there, you feel it and when you feel it that is a hard thing to be able to bat away. As much as Sergio says he ignores it, it does affect you. Sergio has got to put himself into a cocoon and deliver every single time with the battering that comes from the media and from within the team on occasion."