Former F1 driver criticized Sergio Perez’s performance at Spa while having nothing but praise for Max Verstappen.
Several voices have joined in disparaging the work of Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez with Red Bull in Formula One. Helmut Marko is one of them, but the most recent one to do so is Christijan Albers, a former Dutch driver, who claimed that the RB18 had been the rescue of the Mexican.
Perez finished the Belgian Grand Prix in the second position, just below his teammate. Despite this, he was decried by the Dutch ex-pilot in his podcast for the influential newspaper ‘De Telegraaf’.
He states that the Red Bull driver’s second place at Spa-Francorchamps was due to his powerful RB18, eliminating any merit. The Mexican driver, who has consistently faced criticism despite his positive achievements, was singled out for how far behind he was from Verstappen, who made a remarkable effort to finish the race in first place after starting from 14th.
“That time difference makes it a very, very painful record for Perez,” Albers said. “This was out of this world. This was the deadly combination of Red Bull and Max that gives that little bit extra.”
“That combination makes the difference to Pérez a painful file for the Mexican. If I had been Perez, I would have kept my helmet on afterward. It wasn’t too good of Perez. The almighty Red Bull is simply his only rescue.” he assured in his analysis.
Just 62 days to go until the #MexicoGP 😄🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/FVkzcWVaTD
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) August 28, 2022
Read also: 29 gp winner Max Verstappen drove like peak Michael Schumacher at Belgian Grand Prix
Albers is not impressed by Checo’s performance
However, Albers’ criticism did not end there. The driver turned analyst also dismissed Checo’s tire-management skills in a charged comparison towards his compatriot Max Verstappen.
The Guadalajara-born driver has often been praised for his tire management in recent years. But the ex-Minardi driver believes the praise for the three-time race winner is absurd and brings up the Belgian Grand Prix as evidence.
“It is not that Checo is the tire whisperer. That is really a meaningless story. Max has had that better under control for several seasons. He was also able to drive longer this weekend and set better lap times.” said the former Formula One driver in his podcast for De Telegraaf.
While finishing 1-2 with Max Verstappen and keeping Red Bull at the top of the Constructors’ Championship, Perez has also passed Charles Leclerc in the Drivers’ World Championship.
Despite all this, like Albers, the international press has also been extremely critical of Checo’s qualifying performance.
The Red Bull team remains the world championship leader with 475 points. Along with both the drivers in 1-2 in the Drivers’ championship. While Serio Pérez has reclaimed second place with 191 points, five more than Leclerc. Max Verstappen leads the competition with 284 points.
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