Albon versus Perez: These statistics show that Red Bull makes the right choice

Sergio Perez is expected to be confirmed as a Red Bull driver, replacing Alex Albon as Max Verstappen's teammate. But how do the two compare? 

Albon versus Perez

Perez has, of course, been driving in Formula 1 for much longer and so it is unfair to compare the statistics of Perez and Albon when it comes to the entire Formula 1 career. Perez has driven almost 160 Grands Prix more than the Thai, won one race and was on the podium eight times more often in total. What comparison can we make?

That, of course, is the comparison of the 2020 season. Of course Sergio Perez and Alexander Albon do not drive the same car, but if you compare the performance of both teams, you could say that the car of Red Bull Racing is better than the one of Racing Point. 

Perez seems to be the better

Perez finished fourth in the rankings with 125 points. That is twenty more points than Albon, who scored105 points. It should also be taken into account that Perez did not race at Silverstone and missed two races. The Mexican therefore scored an average of 8.3 points per race, whereas Albon scored only 6.1 per race with his RB16.

Both drivers were on the podium twice this year and both needed luck from dropping drivers. Neither of the two were on the podium on the basis of their true pace, although it can be said that Perez owes the podium in Turkey largely to himself and not to luck.

Albon on the other hand benefitted from retirements of Max Verstappen at Mugello and Perez himself in the first race in Bahrain.

Perez versus Verstappen

The qualifying match is also a good indicator. Perez has been winning his duel for years, where Albon has been struggled against Verstappen.

We will only see the real pace of Perez when he steps into the Red Bull and only then we will see how he compares to Verstappen. In recent years, however, he has shown that he is inferior to only a few drivers and that he is a great racer on Sunday. Where Albon missed those moments on Sunday, Perez must be there in 2021 to help Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing to compete for the title.