Former driver and analyst Christijan Albers already made a judgment about Sergio Pérez’s season during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. According to Albers, the Red Bull Racing driver felt great on the circuit in Jeddah, but there is still a good chance that everything will be disappointing when Formula 1 travels to other circuits.
Albers already spoke to the Telegraaf podcast about the victory that Max Verstappen won in Saudi Arabia, although teammate Pérez stood out the most. ‘It is of course a bit boring that Max is so incredibly strong, but on the other hand you could see that this was a circuit where Pérez feels comfortable.’ According to the analyst, this has everything to do with the nature of the circuit. ‘It is a track with few technical sectors, which means there is more stability in the car and you as a driver have more downforce.’
Pérez felt like a fish in water in Jeddah
According to Albers, this ensured that the Mexican gradually performed better over the weekend than during the first race weekend in Bahrain. “He just really felt more comfortable here, and that’s why the gap with Verstappen became a lot smaller.” However, there was a small caveat, according to Albers, because enough happened during the race to stop Verstappen. “Comparatively speaking, the gap was still quite large,” the analyst noted. ‘In the end Verstappen was still eight seconds ahead, despite the Safety Car and everything.’
According to Albers, Pérez must be aware that the difference between him and Verstappen could well become greater in the future. ‘It was all good of him, but I am afraid that it will become increasingly difficult at other circuits. The more difficult the circuit, the bigger the gap between the two becomes.’ According to Albers, there is a good chance that the competition will be able to reap the benefits. ‘They can then fine-tune things and make the battle for second position more exciting.’
Pérez still has to look for improvement in a crucial area
According to the analyst, Pérez makes one big mistake, as a result of which he cannot keep up with his teammate’s pace. ‘He really had a fantastic start, just like in Bahrain, but he rarely really finishes it. That’s just such a shame.’ Albers briefly looked back at the start of the race in Saudi Arabia, and he noticed that Pérez left a lot behind before the first corner. ‘He sometimes even gets away better than Max and that was the case this time, but in the first corner he is too careful while a Charles Leclerc, for example, shows his balls.’
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