Webber sees Verstappen having 'firepower' in battle with Perez

Mark Webber is happy to see that Sergio Perez is managing to match the level of Max Verstappen this season. The 32-year-old showed in Jeddah, Monaco and Baku at least on Friday and Saturday to have more speed than his Dutch teammate. According to Webber that is a good development for Red Bull. Yet he thinks Verstappen will come out on top at the end of the race.

Perez close to Verstappen

"Of course he [Perez] is driving brilliantly since these new regulations came out, he’s been genuinely quick, threatening Max in most conditions. I still think that there are circuits where Max will overall have enough firepower to get on top of him", Perez told Channel 4, adding he still considers Verstappen the big favourite to take the world title this season.

However, the competition is stiff in the form of Ferrari. The Maranello team excels, especially on Saturdays, but if they can maintain that form on Sunday and solve their engine reliability problems, Red Bull Racing could have an even tougher time. According to Webber, the Austrian formation has the advantage of having two drivers that perform.

Red Bull benefits

Perez has already proven he can beat Verstappen, while Carlos Sainz has not yet managed to do so with his teammate in 2022. The former Red Bull driver is happy that the Mexican driver has managed to make a considerable step up from last season. "Red Bull need him there, they’re racing Ferrari as well, let’s not forget. They know they need to keep two horses in this fight because they are racing against two horses.”

The fact that the difference between Perez and his Dutch teammate is a lot smaller this year, according to the current number two in the world championship, is due to the fact that he has influenced the development of the car this year. When he came over from Racing Point in early 2021, the RB16B was actually already completely finished. Moreover, the current regulations suit Perez's driving style better.