Helmut Marko is very enthusiastic about Sergio Perez as a teammate alongside Max Verstappen. The Red Bull Racing top man knows that the Mexican is not perfect, but according to the Austrian, perfection isn't needed.
In 2021, Red Bull Racing obtained a driver outside its own training program for the first time in years. Perez was pushed aside by Racing Point, now Aston Martin, and Red Bull seized its opportunity. Although Perez still finished a way off Verstappen in qualifying and in the races, he performed at the right times, according to Marko.
Perez doing what he needs to do
''He has made himself legendary in the fight against Hamilton. For us it is clear that he is currently not a driver who can resist Verstappen in qualifying, but then you need someone who is not broken by that and we managed to do that with Perez,'' Marko told Autorevue.
According to Marko, Perez is especially good at making up for his lack of speed in qualifying during the race. ''That's a big advantage over Bottas, who in terms of overtaking is really a flop. He is very fast, but overtaking in traffic he really can't'', Marko concluded with a critical tone.