Fast Five: Perez being in top form to take on Verstappen, the crisis at Ferrari explained, and other big updates

Red Bull's Horner: Perez needs to bring his A-game to challenge Verstappen

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has said that Sergio Perez needs to perform consistently if he wants to challenge Max Verstappen during the 2023 season. While Perez played a supporting role in Verstappen’s title win in 2021 and helped the team win their first constructors’ title in nine years in 2022, he struggled to match Verstappen’s pace. Horner described Verstappen as “the highest benchmark” on the grid and said Perez needed to be on his “A-game” every race weekend. Despite this, Horner praised Perez’s experience and qualities as a team player.

Click here to read the full article by Formula 1.

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Ferrari F1 team in turmoil: Latest drama explained

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Ferrari's slow start sparks concerns and a media frenzy. The Italian media is reporting on emerging concerns behind the scenes at Ferrari's F1 team after their disappointing start to the 2023 season.

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Tire Talk: Learn About the Tires for This Week's Race

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The same tire compound choices as last year will be used for the Jeddah track. Unpredictability has been a constant feature of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to the typical street circuit and frequent safety cars and neutralizations in the two races held up to now.

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Can the Young Guns Fill the Void? F1 Misses the Absence of Ricciardo and Vettel

Sky reporter Ted Kravitz called upon new F1 drivers to step up and replace the absence of Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel, both of whom are big personalities that the sport will miss. Ricciardo was axed by McLaren and chose to become a reserve driver for Red Bull, while Vettel retired after representing Aston Martin last season. This led to rookies Oscar Piastri, Nyck de Vries, and Logan Sargeant getting their first chance. Mick Schumacher, another big-name driver, lost his seat at Haas. F1’s attempt to crack America has seen Sargeant come onto the grid for the first time, driving for Williams. The younger crop of drivers must develop and become big personalities to replace those who have left the sport.

Click here to read the full article by F1 Desk (Crash.net).

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Ex-Renault Technical Director joins Andretti F1

Former Renault technical chief, Nick Chester, is set to join the Andretti Autosport from the Mercedes Formula E team. He’s seen as another of Andretti’s major steps to solidify a bid to join the F1 grid. Prior, the team joined forces with General Motors to introduce the Cadillac brand.

Click here to read the full article by Jake Boxall-Legge (Motorsport.com).