“We have Perez within firing range” – Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko highlights importance of Sergio Perez to Max Verstappen

“We have Perez within firing range” – Helmut Marko also elaborated on the difference between the drivers, and where Sergio Perez loses out to Max Verstappen.

Helmut Marko is clearly happy with the pairing of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, highlighting their strengths on the track. Verstappen is the old cog in the team and is winning more often than the recruit Perez. Marko believes this is down to the Dutchman handling the car better than the Mexican in windy conditions.

“With Max and Sergio, for example, the more extreme it gets, the better the car is on an aerodynamic level. At the same time, this also means that the car is more susceptible to the wind. During the first race in Austria, for example, there were a lot of gusts of wind, especially in Turn 7.

“Max can handle that, but Perez loses seconds. That’s also the difference between Hamilton and Bottas. The car becomes too ‘light’ to drive. Verstappen’s performance costs us a lot of money, but it’s worth it.”

It’s about time! 😆 Max and Checo are back to answer the important questions in an all-new Talking Bull podcast 🎙

— Red Bull Racing Honda (@redbullracing) July 7, 2021

Sergio Perez is crucial to Red Bull strategy

Sergio Perez’s predecessor Alex Albon was often seen struggling in the midfield during races, which gave Mercedes a crucial advantage when it came to team strategy, especially with pit stops. But with Sergio Perez battling hard with Mercedes’ Bottas, Marko believes this has left Mercedes with no little room for strategic advantage.

“It’s hard to tell if that [Red Bull dominating rest of season] will be the case. However, we have always had a good car during the first nine races, except in Barcelona.

“Mercedes did strategically well there, because the tyre wear was higher than expected for us. Now we have Perez within firing range, which means if Mercedes want to make a second pit stop, they can’t always do that. We saw that in France.”

Read More “It was a good day at the end” – Sergio Perez aiding Max Verstappen to deliver Red Bull supremacy over Mercedes

About the author

Subham Jindal

A Red - be it Manchester United or Ferrari. Hails from the hills of Kalimpong, Darjeeling. Aspiring to become a respected Sports Management professional.

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