Toto Wolff questions Red Bull's 'BIZARRE' Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez issue

Verstappen talking to Perez during the Belgian GP weekend — Photo: © LAT Images

Red Bull

Wolff questions Red Bull's 'BIZARRE' Verstappen and Perez issue

Verstappen qualified a staggering 1.3s faster than his team-mate in Zandvoort

Dan Davis

Monday 28 August 2023 10:42

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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has admitted the staggering gap in qualifying performance between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez at Red Bull is 'bizarre'.

World champion Verstappen secured the victory in Zandvoort, his home territory, after pipping Fernando Alonso, while his team-mate finished fourth after a five-second penalty.

Remarkably, there was a 1.3s gap between both drivers in qualifying, perhaps piling the pressure on Perez once again as he bids to protect his seat.

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Before Sunday's feature race, Wolff conceded he could not fathom how Perez could have been so far adrift when behind the wheel of the same RB19.

Perez will start the Dutch Grand Prix in seventh place

Wolff: 'I cannot comprehend it'

"Odd, bizarre," Wolff told the media. "Checo's not an idiot. We have seen in all these years Checo is a grand prix winner, multiple grand prix winner, and he was at Racing Point, so I cannot comprehend [it].

"We've seen that Max has destroyed every single team-mate that was with him, whether it's his ability to create a car around himself, that is just very tricky to control but fast if you can, and that creates those gaps, the 1.3.

"But I haven't heard any obvious explanations. But yeah. Odd."

Perez had seemingly lit the fuse on a surprise title charge this year after winning two of the first four races, but has now faded into Verstappen's shadow.

In contrast, a dominant Verstappen has raced away at the top of the drivers' championship and is cruising toward a third consecutive crown.