Sergio Pérez is part of the Red Bull Racing team this season. In recent months, the Mexican has faced a lot of criticism for his performance, but Adrian Newey also sees many positive aspects to Pérez's arrival.
The teammate of Max Verstappen has a lot of experience in Formula 1. He drove successively for Sauber, McLaren and Force India, where he learned a lot from the various teams. It gives Red Bull the chance to get an inside look at the competition.
"Sergio is very useful with his experience at other teams," Newey stated in conversation with Speedweek. "Since Mark (Webber, ed.) and DC (David Coulthard, ed.) we haven't had any drivers who didn't come from the Red Bull driver programme. The experience of other teams gives us a different perspective and input from the other guys."
Red Bull learns from Pérez
According to Newey, it is very important to listen to the drivers. "The fact is that the data we measure on the car, the hundreds of sensors for aerodynamics and driving dynamics, tell you what the car is doing. The driver is just much better at telling you why he's doing it. So it's about matching the driver's comments with the sensors."