Verstappen hopes Perez can make it easier to fight Mercedes
Max Verstappen hopes Red Bull will be able to fight Mercedes more upon Sergio Perez's arrival at the Formula 1 team, saying it has been "difficult" to do so alone.

Red Bull announced on Friday that outgoing Racing Point driver Perez would be joining the team for 2021, replacing Alexander Albon.
Perez will arrive at Red Bull off the back of his strongest season in F1, scoring his maiden victory at the Sakhir Grand Prix en route to fourth place in the standings.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said Perez's form this year was "impossible" to ignore, and that the struggles Albon faced in regularly matching Verstappen's pace and fighting Mercedes played a part in the decision to drop him.
Read Also:
Asked by Motorsport.com if he anticipated that Red Bull would be more competitive with Perez joining, Verstappen felt it would help the fight against Mercedes.
"It's more that we'll have a second car which is capable of being up there as well the whole race and trying to put a bit of pressure [on]," Verstappen said.
"For example, like in Abu Dhabi, at the end, Alex was quite close. Most of the time, Mercedes try to go for an extra stop or whatever, and then I'm in more difficulties, because most of the time when we were quite competitive this year, I was the only car trying to beat them, and tried to do something different.
"But they can always do the right strategy with one of them, because they will always cover me with one car, so it was always a bit difficult to fight them.
"I just hope that Checo will be the one to first of all push the whole team forward, but also keep me on my toes, which is always nice. To have a teammate pushing you, it's exciting.
"Hopefully we can, with a bit more of a competitive car from the start, make it just a bit more interesting and difficult for them to make decisions."
Read Also:
Albon is set to take up a reserve role with Red Bull for the 2021 season, focusing on its test and development work for the new regulations in 2022.
Verstappen was glad that Albon was still part o the team, but said he gave his honest thoughts to the team about who should be his teammate prior to a decision being made.
"Of course we spoke about it, and I just give my honest opinion," Verstappen said.
"I think it was quite clear that throughout the whole year, it was sometimes quite a bit tricky for Alex. He is a great guy, honestly, and I'm happy that he's part of the team still.
"But at the end of the day, of course it's Helmut [Marko] and Christian and of course Dietrich [Mateschitz] making the decisions.
"Of course I knew a bit before. But at the end of the day that doesn't matter."
Related video

Previous article
Perez form made it "impossible" for Red Bull to ignore him
Next article
Hamilton: Perez's arrival makes Red Bull stronger

About this article
Series | Formula 1 |
Drivers | Sergio Perez , Max Verstappen |
Teams | Red Bull Racing |
Author | Luke Smith |
Verstappen hopes Perez can make it easier to fight Mercedes
Trending
Scuderia Ferrari Filming Day Backstage Footage
Back to Work | Valtteri Bottas' 2021 Seat Fit
F1 Explained | Mercedes Power Unit
How McLaren F1’s new investors have already made an impact
The deal McLaren concluded with MSP Sports Capital last year which will help the cash-strapped Formula 1 team pay for much-needed infrastructure upgrades, also points toward the future for F1 itself, says GP Racing's Stuart Codling.
Why Verstappen isn't interested in the hype game
In a pre-season where Red Bull has been unusually quiet, Max Verstappen has also been guarded about the team's fortunes in 2021. Even after trying the RB16B for the first time at Silverstone, the Dutchman was careful to manage expectations
The pros and cons of F1's 2021 rule changes
In the strategy for grand prix racing's future, 2021 represents a significant step towards the goal of closer racing and a more level playing field. That's the theory behind the latest raft of changes, but will they have the desired effect?
What Red Bull is trying to hide with its RB16B launch
Red Bull made no secret of the fact its 2021 F1 car is an evolution of its predecessor, but in keeping the same foundations while hiding some tightly-guarded updates with its RB16B, the team aims to avoid suffering the same pitfalls of previous years
How Albon plans to fight his way out of Red Bull limbo
Alex Albon has faced the media for the first time since he lost his Red Bull drive at the end of 2020 and dropped out of a Formula 1 race seat altogether. He has a history of bouncing back from setbacks, so here's what he must do to rise again
Ranked! Carlin's greatest F1 graduates
Carlin has helped guide enough drivers to Formula 1 to fill out an entire grid, plus a handful of reserves, to create a remarkable alumni list. With Yuki Tsunoda set to join that group, Motorsport.com has ranked its graduates to grace the grand prix scene...
Why Alfa's 2021 launch says more about its 2022 plans
Alfa Romeo launched its C41 with a revised front nose, but there's little to suggest it will surge up the leaderboard in 2021. As the team frankly admits, it's putting its eggs in the basket labelled 2022 and hoping to hold the eighth place it earned last year
Why Gasly’s AlphaTauri haven is a blessing and a curse
Red Bull opted not to re-sign Pierre Gasly even before it decided to drop Alex Albon and so the Frenchman's Formula 1 journey will continue at AlphaTauri. This has positive and negative connotations for one of last season's star performers.