34-year-old driver told he can be even better starter off the grid than Max Verstappen

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Former F1 driver Christijan Albers has suggested that Red Bull star Sergio Perez is an even better starter than his teammate Max Verstappen.

The 34-year-old driver has recorded back-to-back 2^nd-place finishes despite picking up a penalty in Saudi Arabia.

Albers, speaking on the Telegraaf Podcast, the Dutch driver reserved special praise for Red Bull’s number two driver.

Perez now deemed a better starter than Verstappen

There are only a few aspects of motor racing that Max Verstappen hasn’t mastered yet.

Despite only being 26, the three-time world champion is unbelievably consistent.

He’s been aided by driving an incredibly reliable car, but Verstappen is now closing in on Lewis Hamilton’s record for most consecutive points finishes – 43 compared to the Brit’s 48.

Considering how many uncontested races he’s won in that stint, it’s easy to forget he’s also an impressive overtaker although his defensive driving something borders on the extreme.

However, Albers believes that Sergio Perez might be a better starter off the grid than Verstappen.

The Mexican typically needs to be better off the mark given he’s not as strong a qualifier as his teammate.

Felipe Massa has admitted Perez is in a difficult situation, but if he could qualify on the front row of the grid, he might finally be about to get one over Verstappen.

Albers praises Perez amid question marks over his future

Speaking about the 34-year-old after his display in Jeddah, Albers said: “He really had a fantastic start, just like in Bahrain, but he rarely really finishes it. That’s just such a shame.

“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 courage.”

Albers’s suggestion that Perez is sometimes a better starter than Verstappen is also backed up by some data.

During the 2023 season, no driver improved on their starting positions than Sergio Perez, gaining 105 spots throughout the campaign.

It helped that he had the fastest car on the grid and typically qualified out of position due to his struggles on Saturdays, missing out on Q3 on multiple occasions.

Perez is still under pressure to improve even though he’s finished directly behind Verstappen during both races so far.

The gap between the far has been considerable though and if Ferrari or Mercedes take a step forward in the next few races, then he could suddenly be in a lot of trouble.