Red Bull sim driver: 'Verstappen faster than Pérez, the street specialist'

Sergio Pérez can be labelled a true specialist. The Mexican is fast on street circuits and tracks with 90-degree corners. Red Bull test and development driver Rudy van Buren thinks Max Verstappen can match or even beat this specialist characteristic just fine.

Van Buren helps tune RB19 perfectly

Van Buren is a simulator driver for Red Bull Racing. He does test work for the new developments and prepares Pérez and Verstappen's cars for the races. The (sim) driver keeps himself busy in Milton Keynes during the F1 season, preparing the Red Bull drivers' F1 weekends. Van Buren tests different set-ups, incorporates feedback from the circuits and ultimately ensures a good base set-up of the RB19 for both drivers.

Speaking to GPBlog, the Dutchman says that his work is mainly concerned with creating a strong base set-up for the F1 weekend in question but that it is also important for him to know the driving styles of both Red Bull drivers well in order to provide both with the best tuning support.

Verstappen beats the specialist

GPBlog asked the sim driver to analyse the overall performance of Verstappen and Pérez based on their driving styles. Van Buren: "For Checo, the whole world is filling in at the moment. [He] is very strong on street circuits, he is very comfortable there. I have to add to that; a Max who is in his comfort zone, is in front. If the car is to his liking."

With the races in Jeddah, Melbourne, Baku and Miami, there have already been four races that are (semi)street races. For the upcoming series of races in Europe on the permanent circuits, Van Buren expects a few good weeks for his compatriot. "Soon, when we get to the slightly more fast circuits - that trend we have seen for years - you will still see that Max has those few tenths over a lap. I don't expect this year to be any different," Van Buren said. 

Verstappen and Pérez need to sort it out on the track

With the fight for the 2023 drivers' title being waged within Red Bull's team, there may be unrest and animosity bubbling up. Van Buren explains that this is not the case and that with the previous season, there is no noticeable difference in how the individual engineers of the different drivers handle feedback.

Van Buren: "At the end of the day, they both have their own performance engineer. That in turn, communicates with the factory. Requests just come out of that. 'Do you want to try this? Do you want to try that?' From my position; I have no preferences in that. I am doing my job and that is optimising for both. Then they have to sort it out on track themselves."