Red Bull make Perez claim in comparison to Verstappen

Red Bull chief engineer Paul Monaghan has defended Sergio Perez who is in danger of losing his F1 seat over the summer. 

Perez has come under significant pressure recently after only scoring 15 points in the last six races, raising speculation he could be dropped by Red Bull during the upcoming summer break.

The Mexican driver has been consistently slower than Verstappen, something that Monaghan recognises. 

In the 34-year-old's defence, however, Monaghan has stressed that Verstappen is making a tiny difference over the course of a lap which results in a substantial overall difference.

"I wouldn't want to be rude to Checo and he may well bite my head off if he was sat here," Monaghan told the Beyond the Grid podcast. 

"I'd say in general, Max is a little bit quicker than Checo. For me, that's not a controversial statement. Checo may well be most upset with me."

Monaghan added: "Half a second on average. Okay, let's say most circuits have 20 corners because it makes the maths easy, look at that as an increment per corner. 

"The difference, per corner, [Max] maybe pulls half a tenth in one corner. It borders on trivial doesn't it? Yet it adds up through a lap."

Perez Red Bull comparisions

Being alongside a driver of Verstappen's stature is no easy feat, as proven not only by Perez but by every other driver to have partnered the three-time F1 champion. 

It takes a certain level of mental resilience to overcome Verstappen mastering almost every session, something Monaghan believes is also the case for two-time champion Fernando Alonso.

Perez being beaten so comfortably by Verstappen takes its toll, raising the question of whether it makes any sense for him to try comparing himself to his team-mate.

"If it helps you get the most out of yourself, again, I'm speaking on behalf of the drivers now, then, intuitively, it makes sense, doesn't it?" questioned Monaghan. 

"If they are constantly worrying about a comparison with a team-mate, or what their teammate is doing, and they fail to get the best out of themselves and their car with their engineers, then yes, it's been a detriment. 

"What you have to be prepared for is, and it's true in my opinion of both Max and Fernando, is this relentless pursuit of the best they can be. And that is, every day, every session, every lap, even if you lose one session, they're back the next one, and they are on it. 

"You have to be prepared for that. They do not have a bad day, do not have a bad session. Well, they do on occasion but they won't admit it!

"But again, it comes back to the inner strength of the team-mate. He has to get the best out of himself and then he has to stand the judgment."