‘Nobody Has Made It to His Level up to Now’ – Red Bull Set High Expectations for Sergio Perez
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via Reuters
Formula One F1 – Sakhir Grand Prix – Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir, Bahrain – Racing Point’s Sergio Perez celebrates on the podium with the Mexican flag after winning the race Pool via REUTERS/Giuseppe Cacace
Red Bull finally put months of speculation to bed by appointing Sergio Perez as their second driver alongside Max Verstappen. The Mexican just had the best season of his long career and they had to cash in his form curve. Now, there are some expectations that he must live up to at Red Bull.
‘Sergio Perez needs to be within striking distance of Max at Red Bull’ – Marko
Advisor Helmut Marko is not an easy man to please. He is laying down the law for the former Racing Point driver.
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Elaborating on the minimum requirement from Perez, he said, “Perez has to be within striking distance of Max in the race trim. In qualifying we will see – nobody has made it to his level up to now. That can be a maximum of two tenths. So in the region – maybe even less.”
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Formula One F1 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – December 13, 2020 Red Bull’s Max Verstappen passes the chequered flag to win the race Pool via REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
They are trying to emulate their title rivals, Mercedes, in every sense. The ‘Silver Arrows’ have arguably the most important sidekick, Valtteri Bottas. He plays second-fiddle to Lewis Hamilton and steps up when the Briton has an off-day, all while maintaining the decorum of the team.
“If Bottas is not having a pitch-black day like in Bahrain, he is fulfilling his role very good. We expect the same from Perez,” said Marko.
Marko on why they went with Perez over Hulkenberg
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MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – OCTOBER 27: Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing talks with Red Bull Racing Team Consultant Dr Helmut Marko during final practice for the Formula One Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on October 27, 2018 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // AP-1XB4UBEU91W11 // Usage for editorial use only // Please go to www.redbullcontentpool.com for further information. //
Even though Verstappen and Nico Hulkenberg might have enjoyed a camaraderie between themselves, Perez brought more value to the team as a whole than the German. So, ultimately, they decided to do what was best for the team.
“The issue was not who works best with us, but what is best for the team. You have to assume that McLaren is taking a step forward with the Mercedes engine, that Renault and Ferrari will probably come too will.
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“We want to finally become world champions again next year. We need a strong pairing with which we can pull out all the stops in terms of strategy.”
Hopefully, they can actually compete for the title in 2021. unlike this season, where they largely played second-fiddle to the dominant Mercedes. Hiring Perez was the right decision in every sense, and one they hope can propel them to a world championship.
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