“He’s driven at the same level as Verstappen”– Red Bull chief claims Sergio Perez was superior deputy to Max Verstappen than Valtteri Bottas to Lewis Hamilton

Tanish Chachra | 30/01/2022
"He's driven at the same level as Verstappen"– Red Bull chief claims Sergio Perez was superior deputy to Max Verstappen than Valtteri Bottas to Lewis Hamilton

Red Bull chief Helmut Marko claims that Sergio Perez was a much better deputy to Max Verstappen than Valtteri Bottas to Lewis Hamilton.

Sergio Perez got seemed to be the reliable option for Red Bull after the end of the 2020 season, as the Milton-Keynes-based team needed a solid second seat driver, after facing disappointments from Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon.

The Mexican International played a pivotal role in his teammate’s pursuit for the championship in 2021. Thus, Red Bul seems to be satisfied with Perez’s services and has extended his contract for 2022.

On the other hand, Valtteri Bottas has left Mercedes this year, but for the last five seasons, he was seen as an ideal teammate for Lewis Hamilton. The Finnish race driver hardly let his interests clash with Hamilton.

Such influence helped Hamilton to win four straight championships between 2017-2021. Such harmony in top teams is rare. Yet Red Bull chief Helmut Marko thinks Perez was a better deputy to Verstappen than Bottas was to Hamilton.

“It’s clear to us that there is currently no driver who can stand up to Verstappen in qualifying,” Marko told AutoRevue. “But then you need someone who won’t break – that has happened with Perez.”

“If you start ninth or 11th, all the qualities he undoubtedly has in the race won’t help you,” Marko said. “He’s driven at the same level as Verstappen in x number of races, [but] it just fizzles out by the time you’re through [the field].”

Also read: Valtteri Bottas claims commitment of Lewis Hamilton towards F1 is unmatchable amidst retirement rumours

Sergio Perez is supreme

Marko further claims that Perez is an overall better driver than Bottas. He concedes that the Finnish race driver is super-fast, but can’t climb the traffic.

“That’s the big difference between him and Bottas, who is a loser when it comes to overtaking,” Marko bluntly said. “He’s super-fast, but he can’t overtake in traffic.”

Also read: Valtteri Bottas says he received a special gift from Mercedes as gesture but has no space to keep it

Post Edited By: Tanish Chachra
Mercedes Red Bull Sergio Perez Valtteri Bottas

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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