“Don’t underestimate him,” Helmut Marko warns Max Verstappen after Sergio Perez’s Azerbaijan GP triumph

Helmut Marko firmly feels that Sergio Perez can give Max Verstappen a run for his money in 2023.

“Don’t underestimate him,” Helmut Marko warns Max Verstappen after Sergio Perez’s Azerbaijan GP triumph

Max Verstappen, Helmut Marko, and Sergio Perez (via IMAGO)

Helmut Marko, the Red Bull team adviser, has, after the Azerbaijan GP, come forward and showered immense praise on Sergio Perez. He is pleased with the upturn in the Mexican and ardently believes that Perez can put up a stiff challenge against Max Verstappen in the 2023 F1 Drivers Championship fight.

Sergio Perez, so far in the 2023 F1 season, has looked like a man possessed and has already managed two victories. Helmut Marko has been keeping track of Perez’s performances, and while talking about him, he said, “[Verstappen] was unlucky with the Safety Car, yes, but Sergio on a street circuit, he has the most podiums here.”

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“So don’t underestimate Sergio. He changed a lot since he came to us. He started working!” Looking at his comments, he was asked by Damon Hill whether he is taking credit for the Mexican’s performances, and as a response, he simply said, “I’m not taking the credit! But, before, he was a Mexican race driver who was enjoying life. He still does, but he does the necessary work.”

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Helmut Marko has made it known that while Sergio Perez is still enjoying life as an F1 driver, he has started putting in the hours and doing the work that is needed to perform at a high level during F1 Grand Prix events. Marko is extremely pleased with how much the 33-year-old has changed and feels it will bode well for him during the ongoing season.

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Sergio Perez has shown incredible form during the 2023 F1 campaign

Sergio Perez
Sergio Perez

Sergio Perez, until the start of this year’s campaign, found things quite tough against Max Verstappen on the Red Bull F1 team. However, as he has become familiar with everything on the team in the last few years, he has started putting his foot on the pedal. After four races in the ongoing campaign, Perez is equal with Verstappen regarding victories.

Moreover, as far as the Drivers Championship is concerned, he is only 6 points behind the reigning World Champion. Things are looking bright for Perez going into the rest of the campaign. However, to beat Verstappen to the 2023 Championship, he would need to put in strong performances on a consistent basis.

Taking everything into account that has panned out around the Red Bull F1 team so far, how do you see Sergio Perez performing against his teammate at the upcoming Miami Grand Prix, especially considering that it is a street race? Would the 33-year-old be able to score his 3rd win of the campaign at the picturesque Miami F1 circuit?

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