Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko labels Valtteri Bottas as "super-fast", but when it comes to overtaking, Sergio Perez beats the former Mercedes driver hands down.
As team leaders Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton engaged in a fierce fight for the world title last season, their loyal wingmen battled equally hard to put points on the board for their respective teams.
Perez was snapped up by Red Bull at the start of 2021 after being let go by Racing Point/Aston Martin in favour of four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and despite having just taken his maiden F1 win in Sakhir.
Although it took some time for the Mexican to settle in, he took a second win in Azerbaijan in June and was lauded for his contribution to the team's championship campaign - and especially the crucial role he played in the final race of the year in Abu Dhabi.
Marko praised Perez's ability to withstand pressure in the heat of the moment and also his strong pace on race day, but admitted the Red Bull driver suffered at the hands of Verstappen in qualifying, an exercise in which the Mexican needs to improve.
"It's clear to us that there is currently no driver who can stand up to Verstappen in qualifying," Marko told AutoRevue.
"But then you need someone who won't break – that has happened with Perez.
"If you start ninth or 11th, all the qualities he undoubtedly has in the race won't help you.
"He's driven at the same level as Verstappen in x number of races, [but] it just fizzles out by the time you're through [the field]."
Marko noted Bottas' strong performances in qualifying, with the Finn taking pole on four occasions last year.
But whenever the Finn found himself engulfed in the midfield or dealing with traffic, he often struggled to extricate himself from the pack, and that was a key deficit relative to Perez.
"That’s the big difference between him and Bottas, who is a loser when it comes to overtaking," said the Red Bull chief.
"He’s super-fast, but he can’t overtake in traffic."
And traffic may well prove to be a major stumbling block for Bottas in 2022 as the Finn opens up a new chapter of his F1 career with mid-field squad Alfa Romeo Racing with whom he'll be racing in the thick of the pack this year.
But Bottas looks back with pride on his past achievements with Mercedes.
"I'm proud," he told the Beyond The Grid podcast. "And now, definitely knowing that I'm continuing to another team, I've had time to a little bit reflect every now and then of the situation, because we've achieved some pretty special things together."
"If you look at me and Lewis as teammates, if you look at the history of Formula 1, the amount of points, wins, podiums we've got together... For me, it's hard to try and name a better team.
"So I'm definitely proud, and the main thing is that I know that I've given everything. I can look in the mirror and say that I tried, I gave it everything I had. That's all I can do."
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