Schumacher sees advantage for Red Bull: "Taking advantage of that now"

Ralf Schumacher suspects that Red Bull Racing has a big advantage over rival Ferrari in the world championship this year. The Austrians know what it is like to make strategic choices under intense pressure, while this is all even newer for Ferrari. At the same time, Schumacher lets it be known that Max Verstappen can learn from Sergio Perez.

Importance of experience

"For me, this mistake shows one thing above all: Ferrari has to learn again to make the right decisions when racing at the front for victory," Schumacher said, noting that this is a new situation for Mattia Binotto's Italian men. On the contrary, Red Bull gained extreme experience last season. "They learned a lot through the tough battle for the World Cup with Mercedes, who have always been very strong strategically. They are taking advantage of that now."

Thanks to Perez's victory, the tension in the world championship has increased even further. The difference between Verstappen (125 points) and his Mexican stablemate is only fifteen points. Charles Leclerc splits the Red Bulls. He managed to rack up a total of 116 points in the first seven Grands Prix of 2022.

Verstappen needs to switch up

Three men are currently vying for the title, but Schumacher cautiously predicts that Perez will not beat Verstappen in a whole year. "I don't think Sergio will have the same consistency as Max," he said. Yet Perez was faster in Monaco in every session, from the first free practice to the race. "Max should see that and use it as an opportunity to learn a few things from his teammate," the former Formula One driver states in his column for the German branch of Sky.

Schumacher thinks the new cars will suit Perez. "Max has a very aggressive driving style, but as a driver who is very good at saving tires, Sergio can also get a lot out of the car. Therefore, Max should try to adopt Sergio's driving style on certain parts of the track and enter one or two corners a little slower."

Jacques Villeneuve also indicated on Monday that he was impressed by Perez. According to the single world champion, Verstappen must start to take his teammate seriously into account. Nico Rosberg spoke words of the same nature, but still not everyone agrees. Christijan Albers, for example, let it be known that Perez has been especially lucky.