Marko full of praise for Perez after P2 behind Verstappen: "He has improved tremendously"

It was a good day for Red Bull Racing in Japan. Max Verstappen won the Formula 1 race by force, while Sergio Perez made it a 1-2 for the Austrian team. Helmut Marko is therefore enthusiastic - this time the praise is mainly for Perez's performance.

Marko applauds Perez performance

Perez not only started alongside Verstappen on the front row, but he also managed to cash in on his second starting spot with second place on the podium. This is to the delight of Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko. "I think Perez was better than expected. Especially after a very bad weekend here last year," he is quoted by the Spanish branch of Motorsport.com.

"He improved incredibly," Marko continued, adding that updates to the RB20 also played an important role. "The set-up finally worked, resulting in a one-two finish, something we did not achieve for a long time. Especially with Perez on the front row of the grid, I have to think how long it's been because that was a long time ago."

Marko particularly expresses his admiration for Perez's changed approach, which he says now goes into the races with a different attitude and no longer tries to go for a different technical approach. According to Marko, Verstappen's and Perez's cars are now almost identical in terms of set-up, and he believes that ultimately makes the difference.

The fact that Perez's seat is at stake after this year is also a factor according to Marko, who saw Perez drive one of his worst races in Japan last year. "Then everything went wrong, so I think it gives him extra satisfaction. He gives the impression that he can do it. But maybe it is also influenced by the fact that next year's contracts are up for grabs, this year much earlier than usual. That also seems to be very motivating," Marko said.