Red Bull pair BIZARRELY hit out at overtaking problems

Red Bull

Red Bull pair BIZARRELY hit out at overtaking problems

Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen have claimed overtaking is becoming more difficult despite their car's domination

Dan McCarthy

Friday 5 May 2023 10:57

Red Bull pair Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen have claimed overtaking is 'harder' this year due to excessive downforce in cars, despite their dominant start to the 2023 season.

Four races in and it is business as usual with Red Bull the quickest on the grid by a country mile, after winning each of the last two championships.

It looks like there will be a closer battle between the two drivers this season with two wins apiece – Verstappen leads the drivers' championship by a mere six points.

Despite the fact their car has sprinted out of blocks, both Verstappen and Perez have made the assertion that overtaking is difficult which, given their pace, the rest of the grid may raise an eyebrow at.

"These cars are generating a bit more downforce and by generating that little more downforce, the car behind struggles a little bit more to follow," the Mexican said.

Perez: DRS shortening was wrong

The call was made by the FIA prior to last weekend in Azerbaijan to shorten one of the DRS zones in order to stop too many artificial overtakes.

On the main straight, the activation zone was shortened by 100 metres without consultation from the drivers, in what Mercedes man George Russell described as a 'rogue call'.

Even though the two Red Bull cars finished one and two in Baku, that didn't stop the drivers from expressing their concerns at the difficulty of getting past other cars.

"These cars are generating a bit more downforce and by generating that little more downforce, the car behind struggles a little bit more to follow," Perez added. "So, in my opinion, it wasn’t the right thing to shorten up the DRS, because it's getting harder to overtake than last year already in itself so it's something we should review."

Verstappen concurred, saying: "I think the more downforce we generate - and that, of course, will always be every year – if you keep the rules the same it will be harder to pass."