Van der Garde: "In qualifying, Perez has no chance against Verstappen"

Last Friday it was announced that Sergio Perez will go to Red Bull Racing next year to replace Alexander Albon. The driver therefore says goodbye to the team where he drove for a long time and makes the switch to Red Bull.

Giedo van der Garde drove together with the Mexican in GP2 in the same team and therefore knows a lot about the qualities of Perez. "With his speed in the race he can be of strategic value to Max and Red Bull, but Max also just needs a teammate who challenges him from time to time," the Dutchman explains in conversation with Formule1.nl.

Strategically, Red Bull becomes stronger

Van der Garde has yet to see whether Perez will be able to fight Verstappen during the season. "I think Max will be put on edge by Pérez. In the races at least, because in qualifying he normally doesn't have a real chance. I don't think he is as fast as Max, but he will be close."

The former F1-driver mainly expects Perez to play an important role in the races for Red Bull. "Last year Max always had to do it alone, while Mercedes always had two men at the front. With Pérez on board, they can play more. That makes it an interesting battle."