Valtteri Bottas labelled a ‘loser’ at overtaking by Red Bull chief Helmut Marko

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Red Bull boss Helmut Marko says Sergio Perez is much better at overtaking than “loser” and former Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas.

Marko suggests Perez was more beneficial to the team than Bottas was to Mercedes as the Spanish driver could support Max Verstappen’s bid for the title. A prime example came in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix when Perez held off Lewis Hamilton at the front of the race while Verstappen pitted.

In contrast, Bottas was stuck in the midfield throughout the race and had little impact on Hamilton’s bid to win in Abu Dhabi.

“That’s the big difference between him and Bottas, who is a loser when it comes to overtaking,” Marko told AutoRevue. “He’s super fast, but he can’t overtake in traffic.”

Bottas will be honing his skills for Alfa Romeo in the 2022 season after leaving Mercedes at the end of the last campaign. Perez is remaining at Red Bull though and Marko did concede he has struggled when it comes to qualifying which was a similar issue for previous drivers Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly.

“If you start ninth or 11th, all the qualities he [Perez] undoubtedly has in the race won’t help you,” Marko added. “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].”

It’s an area Perez will be aiming to improve upon, especially as Gasly is aiming to get a seat at Red Bull. The Frenchman has driven well since he was moved to AlphaTauri in 2019 and he has spoken publicly about fighting to be back at the top team.

Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, Gasly said: “My desire, my will to fight for world championships is very strong. I’m in Formula 1 to fight at the top. That motivates me to keep improving.

“I won’t lie, it’s hard to deliver a season like that. And then when I compare myself to those who got the opportunity for a Red Bull seat, it’s disappointing. Based on the numbers and results, I have delivered a better performance than anyone else in this team.

“But at the end of the day, I don’t get the recognition and reward for that. That’s hard to swallow. It disappoints me, of course.”