Ralf Schumacher weighs in after Toto Wolff implied favouritism at Red Bull
Ralf Schumacher has no qualms if – and it is an ‘if’ – Red Bull are designing their cars to favour Max Verstappen as that’s “one of the secrets of success for the greatest drivers”.
Verstappen is dominating this year’s championship, the Dutchman claiming 12 wins in a season in which he has yet to finish lower than P2.
Romping toward a third successive World title, Verstappen is not only destroying drivers from rival teams but also his own team-mate Sergio Perez.
Ralf Schumacher: If a Perez car were better for the team, Red Bull would do that
To date, the Mexican driver has only bagged two race wins and two pole positions while Verstappen has 12 wins and eight pole positions. He also has a 145-point lead over Perez in the Drivers’ standings.
Wolff believes the gap between the two is “odd, bizarre“.
He added: “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.”
沃尔夫的言论提出质疑是否再保险d Bull are favouring their soon-to-be triple World Champion by designing a car that suits his driving style more than it does Perez’s.
Schumacher wouldn’t be surprised if they did, after all, it is the 25-year-old who is Red Bull’s best bet to bring in the results.
He toldF1-Insider.com: “Getting a car that suits your driving style is every Formula 1 driver’s job. It was and is one of the secrets of success for the greatest drivers.
“Senna did it, Prost, Lauda, my brother, and now Max. I also tried to influence the engineers so that I felt comfortable in the car.
“One thing is certain, a team always does what promises the greatest success. If a Perez car were better for the team, Red Bull would go in that direction.”
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Max Verstappen’s response to Toto Wolff’s ‘odd’ comment
Verstappen wasn’t impressed with Wolff’s comment,calling it “bullsh*t”before going on to explain his dominance over Perez as a case of him adapting better to the car than his teammate has done.
“Bullsh*t comments,” he told the media including PlanetF1.com. “It’s not like that.
“I mean, I just drive the car I get to the fastest way possible. I’m not there to tell the guys to give me more front end, because that’s how I like it.
“I’ll just say ‘Design me the fastest car, and I’ll drive around that.’
“Every single year it’s just different, every car drives a little bit different.
“People will say what is your driving style? My driving style is not something particular, I adapt to what I need for the car to go quick.”
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