Red Bull chief explains why Daniel Ricciardo is BETWEEN Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez

Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, Daniel Ricciardo — Photo: © LAT Images

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Red Bull chief explains why Ricciardo is BETWEEN Verstappen and Perez

The Australian has been tipped to unseat the struggling Perez

Lauren Sneath

Friday 28 July 2023 09:57

The Red Bull chief of performance engineering has said that Daniel Ricciardo sits ‘somewhere in the middle’ of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez when it comes to driving style.

Ben Waterhouse explained how Ricciardo has helped the team in the sim this season on the Talking Bull podcast, where he said the Australian driver can tell the team what Verstappen and Perez will need in terms of setup.

Asked how important driver feedback is in the performance engineering process, Waterhouse said: “I think that's a super important one.

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“It's about ultimately it's the marriage of the driver and the machine. You need to have them in unison such that the driver feels comfortable in the car, and because these cars are so quick it's so important that the driver is confident and in fear with the car.

“So we have to make sure that the two are compatible and the setup will then evolve to suit the driver's characteristics and their driving style.”

Ricciardo ‘wise’ when it comes to setup advice

He then explained that Verstappen and Perez drive differently, and the team has Daniel use the sim and offer feedback about setups that will work for each driver.

Waterhouse continued: “So, we know that the two drivers drive a little bit differently and Daniel sits somewhere in the middle but we're in a position where we have enough data and enough knowledge that we can start to drive the setup for one driver in one direction and slightly different for the other.

“Daniel's wise enough to be able to go, ‘OK I know what Max will need I know what Checo will need.’”