"He's changed since he came to us": Sergio Perez has improved massively since his move to Red Bull, says team advisor

F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan
ace winner Sergio Perez of Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing celebrates on the podium during the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan at Baku City Circuit

Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko mentioned that Sergio Perez has changed a lot since he joined the Austrian team at the start of the 2021 season.

The Mexican driver registered his second win of the season at the F1 Azerbaijan GP this weekend and was thoroughly in control of the race as marched to win both the Sprint and the main race.

Sergio Perez was behind his teammate Max Verstappen in the early stages of the race. However, the timing of the safety car worked in his favor and he held on to the advantage.

While appearing on the F1 Nation podcast, Marko said:

"I mean, it was unlucky with the safety car. Yes, but Sergio on the street circuit, he has the most podiums here. So don't underestimate Sergio. He changed a lot since he came to us. He started working before he was a Mexican race driver who was enjoying life. He still does, but he does necessary work!"

The Austrian also added that Ferrari were closer to them this weekend, adding:

"You see both pole positions went to Ferrari so they are coming closer. In the last couple of laps, Alonso and Leclerc did the same lap times like we didn't slow down so it's a hard fight and you have always keep pushing."

“It has been an unbelievable weekend, I am super pleased" - Sergio Perez

While analyzing his weekend, Sergio Perez could not hold back his excitement and stated that it was an 'unbelievable' weekend for him. He said, as per F1.com:

“It has been an unbelievable weekend, I am super pleased and I cannot say more about the team, it has been a tremendous day for us and I am so proud of everyone. I want to say a big thanks to Thibaut, he is one of my mechanics who is at home for personal reasons but he is still a very big part of our team."
"The team enjoys calling me the King of the Streets and I am super happy for them all. They have been tremendous all weekend, from the sprint race yesterday through to the way we executed the race today, it was perfect."

Playing down the role of the safety car in the victory, he added:

"I think today we were the fastest car on the track and regardless of the safety car, we would have won the race. I am definitely in the fight for the title, not just because of Baku, I believe I can be very good anywhere this season and now I am just thinking of Miami. There are a lot of races coming up and we must make sure we are on it.”

It will be interesting to see if Sergio Perez can win back-to-back races for the time as F1 heads to Miami this weekend.

Quick Links