With a Mercedes in the front row for sprint qualifying, Red Bull would be a little concerned. Overall, however, qualifying was good for the team. On a day when McLaren put in a surprisingly strong performance on the track, Sergio Perez helped push Verstappen into P3.
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Helmut Marko praised Perez despite the Mexican’s P9 qualifying. “We made the best of it. Great teamwork, thanks to Perez for pulling it! ”When the cars crossed the checkered flag at the end of Q3, it looked like Verstappen would finish fourth behind Norris. Sergio Perez, however, gave Verstappen a slight advantage and helped him push his teammate into the second row.
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Lando Norris had finished Q1 and 2 before Verstappen and wanted to repeat the result. Marko feared McLaren’s impressive pace; it would hurt the team principal to see Verstappen quality behind you. “We are satisfied. We feared that even McLaren would be ahead of us here! ”
What looks like a three-team battle for the podium, the qualifying gave us a foretaste of a certainly competitive sprint qualifying.
Sergio Perez – the ideal teammate
Red Bull seems to be stalling on the Monza track; The team’s slow pace was confirmed on Friday. After extending his contract with the Milton Keynes team, Perez makes up for his performance with his teamwork.
Although Helmut Marko was very critical of Checo, he always praised him as a good partner of Verstappen. That’s not to say that Perez didn’t contribute to the team. Red Bull should keep Perez in the points because of his consistent performance. In addition, the race at Zandvoort sets the precedent for Perez’s undiminished race car.
Formula 1 F1 – Italian Grand Prix – Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza, Italy – September 10, 2021 Red Bulls Sergio Perez and Red Bulls Max Verstappen during qualifying REUTERS / Jennifer Lorenzini
At the Baku race, Checo took the chance to win after Verstappen’s tires had shot out. In addition, with the new regulations in 2022, the driver’s decades of experience with the sport will be useful.
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Christian Horner was more than convinced by the driver. “His integration into the broader team was seamless and we were impressed with his performance in the first half of the season, which shows what he is capable of in our car.”
Formula 1 F1 – Italian Grand Prix – Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza, Italy – September 10, 2021 Red Bulls Sergio Perez during qualifying REUTERS / Jennifer Lorenzini
Focused on the rest of the season, Perez has done a good job so far. “We still have so much to achieve together and we still have a big challenge ahead of us this season. So I really hope that we can end the year with a high point and take this momentum with us into 2022.”
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While today is another example of the importance of Perez to the team, the previous sprint will determine the starting grid for Sunday’s race. Perez would want to end the session with a top five number. As the battle for the championship was extremely tight, Verstappen and Perez had to push hard in Saturday’s session to gain an advantage against Mercedes on Sunday.
Check out this story: F1 drivers fight on the track
The post Marko praises victim Perez for Verstappen gesture amid McLaren F1 fears in Monza first appeared on monter-une-startup.
