Perez slump has a benefit for Red Bull – but a bigger headache

I'm willing to bet that Perez isn't going to end this season in second place. He's going to need some turnaround to best Alonso's form. If Aston keeps the updates coming then that car is going to improve more, and perhaps Merc the same.

There's not really any original reporting here, it's an opinion piece full of pretty straightforward stuff. Breaking down the clickbait title, which doesn't get addressed till the end...

Here's the benefit, it's easy to manage competition between drivers when one is getting smashed:

... while Red Bull will prefer to avoid Perez slumping this badly, it’s not all bad – because it’s making for an incredibly serene situation for Verstappen.

There’s no tension whatsoever when the second car is zero threat and nothing for Red Bull to manage...

It’s just a silver lining for the team, given its advantage means Perez’s problems don’t actually come with a massive downside at the moment.

The cost is points, which doesn't matter this season but might someday if other teams close the gap:

Red Bull and Perez are getting away with it this year because the constructors’ title is not at risk and so far race wins have been safe too. But the team will know the risk of what happens when rivals become more competitive, when it has a situation where points are at a premium, when having two cars at the front is not a luxury but a necessity.