Column | Perez is a masterstroke from Red Bull, but arrives with risks

Red Bull Racing have made a masterstroke for the 2021 season with the arrival of Sergio Perez. Max Verstappen had to attack the Mercedes alone over the last two years. On all fronts, Perez's arrival looks like a huge improvement for the team and for Verstappen himself.

Red Bull talents fall short

Since the departure of Daniel Ricciardo, Max Verstappen has known what it's like to be on his own at a team. Yes, he became the new top man and was able to steer the car himself, but every human and athlete needs resistance. Verstappen didn't get that from Alexander Albon and Pierre Gasly.

In fact, Verstappen won every qualifying session teammate duel and only finished behind one of them in the race if he had a problem or crashed out. Ricciardo was only beaten by Verstappen in the final year of their partnership.

Verstappen cannot do it alone

Aside from the mental and sporting aspects, it's also simply the case that Verstappen cannot lead the car to the top on his own. When an opponent has two drivers who can both test a setup in a weekend to find the best solution, you're chasing the best on your own.

Albon and Gasly could not test an equivalent setup. The difference between them and Verstappen was so big that you could never tell if theirs was working. They watched what Verstappen did, and took over. With Ricciardo, the team was much stronger there, when two drivers did everything they could up until Saturday to find the best setup for the team.

With Perez, Verstappen gets an experienced driver who, like him, can deal well with a troubled rear end and can look after the tyres well. They like a similar driving style, if perhaps Perez is a little less aggressive, which will leave him short on Saturday. However, with the Mexican's experience, Verstappen now finally has someone to help him with his setup.

The battle with Mercedes

Still think Verstappen can do just fine on his own? Then take a look back at some races from 2019 and 2020, where Mercedes simply outplayed the surplus of Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton against the loner Verstappen. Consider the 2019 Hungarian Grand Prix or the 2020 Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna.

Verstappen might be able to beat Mercedes if he's the fastest, but strategically Red Bull Racing is always at a disadvantage. They always have to react to a move by Mercedes, and when you react you are usually too late. Albon and Gasly never managed to be close enough to the top three to avoid such a strategic move by Mercedes.

Give Perez a break, but you'd still expect the Mexican to be able to connect with the top three. Perez may not be Hamilton or Verstappen, but he's certainly not inferior to Bottas. If the Finn can drive in the lead, then the Mexican should be able to do the same.

Just a little less than Ricciardo?

We don't exactly know how good Perez is until he actually drives the Red Bull. Ricciardo was a close match for Verstappen for years, but no one else came close. Perez, in turn, has lost duels on occasion, although that was mainly on Saturday. On Sunday Perez was nine times out of ten better than his biggest rival.

The only thing that can be said about Perez is his reaction when things go wrong. In the duels with Jenson Button and Esteban Ocon his worst side showed and he was a nuisance to his teammate and team. He will need to improve on that in 2021, as he is expected to lose to Verstappen anyway.

All in all, Red Bull has made a huge step forward, at least in terms of getting closer to Mercedes on the driving side of things. How good the car is will determine whether the duel with Mercedes can finally be fought, but it's good to know that a serious battle will break out internally at Red Bull.