Max Verstappen will have a new teammate in 2021 in Sergio Perez. The hope and expectation is that, unlike Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon, he will be able to get close to the Dutchman. That is exactly what Helmut Marko wants to see from the Mexican.
Experience above talent
The contracting of Perez causes a break in the Red Bull tradition of the team using their own talent. However, in order to have a real chance of winning next year's championship, an experienced driver is needed alongside Verstappen.
"If you fall too far behind in qualifying you can't be used in the strategy game. Since we want to be world champions in 2021, we have to be able to play all the cards in the strategy game and Perez can be of great use to us," Marko told Formulapassion.it.
Maximum two tenths
Expectations for Perez are high, Marko says. "He has to be close to Max in race trim. In qualifying it's a different matter, as no one has ever been close to Verstappen's level. I expect a maximum gap of two tenths, maybe even less.”
Red Bull wants to be able to fight with two cars against Mercedes in 2021 and not just Verstappen. "Right now that's what we need most. Because Valtteri Bottas, barring a bad day like the one in Bahrain, is close to Hamilton. This job is what we expect from Perez," concluded Marko.