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'Even the experienced Perez seems to be troubled by Max's brilliance'
- GPblog.com
Sergio Perez received the Driver of the Day award for his performance at the Dutch Grand Prix, yet there is also criticism on the Mexican, who, according to Tom Clarkson, seems to have been fooled by the qualities of Max Verstappen.
The duel with Verstappen
It is clear by now that being Verstappen's teammate is no easy task. Daniel Ricciardo ran away from it, Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon were considered too weak and now Sergio Perez seems to be having a hard time as well. His performance during the race at Zandvoort was applauded, but a lot went wrong too.
"He was in a very fast car, but still managed to ruin a hard set of tyres in an attempt to overtake Nikita Mazepin," says Tom Clarkson in the F1 Nation Podcast.
Perez lets it slip
''He started quite strongly (at Red Bull). He was exactly where he needed to be in Azerbaijan. He was on the podium in France, but then suddenly we get into the second half of the season and he comes to Zandvoort with three DNFs. Then there's the confusion in Q1 which meant he couldn't do a final lap and it seems to be slipping away,'' said Clarkson.
''It's a pattern we've seen so often now with Red Bull Racing drivers. Drivers starting strongly but Max's brilliance gets to everyone. Then you start to overdrive to beat Verstappen. I thought Perez was the answer because he was mature enough not let Max get to him but that doesn't seem to be the case," concluded the presenter.