Marko Praises 'Significantly Better' Perez After Chinese Grand Prix

"What I'm also happy about: Sergio Perez has been showing better performance in this first part of the season than he did a year ago. 'Checo' no longer goes into the races with the goal of having to beat Max at all costs."

"By that, I mean that in 2023 he almost despaired over finding his own way to set up the car if the speed wasn't right. So he tried to catch up to Max through technical means with a different setup. He's given that up."

"Perez is now following a setup approach that's more in line with Verstappen's. As a result, he's losing less time and is significantly better in qualifying than in 2023."

"There's also little to criticize in the races: without the unfortunate timing of the Safety Car phases, he likely would have come second in China."

"But when he gets stuck in traffic, he can't fully utilize his skills as a tire whisperer. Instead, he has to work his way forward, and that usually puts more wear on the tires."