Mexico’s Sergio Perez made his Formula 1 debut at Sauber in 2011 and immediately drew attention to himself by finishing in 7th place with a one-stop strategy - later, due to a technical foul, both riders from the team were disqualified, but that’s not deducted anything from the value of his debut competitive role.
In the years since, Perez has become one of the aces in the midfield, with rubber handling being his main strength among many of his virtues, and his team, the technical director of Racing Point, says he is one of the best in the field.
“It’s terribly underrated. I think he’s at the peak of his career now, nothing to embarrass, ”said Andy Green, the official podcast of Formula One, in the latest episode of Beyond the Grid about the Mexican veteran.
“He’s always given great feedback, I think one of the best when it comes to driving a car and the feedback, his mental capacity is wonderful. In tire handling, he is in the top3 in the field, He simply feels how the rubber behaves in the corner, what he wants, what he can get out of it. It is exceptionally able to handle the gas in case of gassing and cornering, it has an almost built-in traction control, ”the expert praised.
Perez doesn’t perform as excellently on time trials - nor is it bad there - as he does in races, Green says there’s an explanation for that, too.
“He also knows that on Saturday afternoon, qualifying is his weaker side. I think it’s because he prefers to set the car for Sunday, the race, and sometimes it’s not the same setting that can be the fastest on Saturday. ”
“But he insists on it, he says, that’s how I want it, and he’ll be right again and again. Sometimes it’s an exaggeration, and then a weak Saturday is followed by a weak Sunday, but that’s very rare. ”
