SERGIO PEREZ has been tipped to pile the pressure onto Max Verstappen at this weekend's Miami Grand Prix.
However, Verstappen still retains the advantage on traditional circuits according to former Red Bull performance engineer Blake Hinsey.
The Dutchman leads the driver standings over his Red Bull team-mate by six points, with the duo sharing two race wins apiece this season.
But Perez, who won last week's Azerbaijan Grand Prix, has been tipped to keep up the pressure on Verstappen across the season thanks to his exceptional tyre management.
Although ahead of the Miami race, Hinsey has declared Verstappen is equal in this regard to "tyre whisperer" Perez.
Speaking to Channel 4, he said: "There's the narrative of him [Perez] being exceptionally good on the tyres.
"I think the dangerous thing for all the other teams is both Max and Checo are insanely good on their tyres. They have the conundrum. They can do it, go fast and save tyres.
"That's the thing, most drivers, you ask them 'we need you to increase your pace by two tenths, can you look after the tyre?' They say 'no'.
"Whatever it is about the car and combination with these two guys, I've seen Checo do it many times, and I've seen Max do it multiple times. They're both monsters.
"But what is it exactly that he's [Perez] good at? Yes, the low speed 90-degree corners, great at it, taking risks when he needs to, leaving just enough margin repeatedly over and over in the way that you need to do to do well in a race and qualifying session around the street circuit.
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"They both can do it. But he's traditionally been much closer at the circuits numerically."
But Hinsey added that to maintain his title charge, Perez, must make up a "half a per cent" gap on traditional circuits.
He explained: "Traditional circuits, Max was about half a per cent ahead.
"So I mean he had a clear gap to him on traditional circuits, half a per cent upwards of a one per cent gap to Checo.
"On street circuits, there was no gap in the qualifying laps they set.
"Obviously, the context from that is removed, but the numbers don't lie. He does tend to go well there, he qualifies well there, and he tends to race well there.
"So I think it's a little bit of everything, the killer instinct, the adaptability."
Despite both drivers prowess, Bulls team boss Helmut Marko also backed Verstappen as being able to execute plans to the optimal level.
Last season he said: "Max has gradually become a tyre whisperer.
"We give him a certain plan and he executes it optimally."
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