Helmut Marko has described how nervousness and a worrying lack of consistency cost Alex Albon his Red Bull seat last year. The 24-year-old driver has been replaced by the experienced Sergio Perez at Red Bull for the 2021 F1 season, in a move that took much of the paddock by surprise when it was first announced. Recruiting from outside its famous young driver academy is something that Red Bull hasn't done since 2007, when Mark Webber joined the team from Williams. However, the team advisor explained why such a drastic decision had to be taken in light of Albon's underwhelming results. "Despite all our efforts with Alex Albon, no consistency could be achieved and he became nervous, for example, with dismantling tires", Marko outlined to German website Speedweek. According to the Austrian, talks with the Thai driver's replacement, Sergio Perez, didn't begin until very late in the season - though when they did, the deal was very easy to finalise. "We only talked more closely in Bahrain during a longer break between two races. Everyone lived together, so that wasn't very noticeable", Marko stated. "Then it went quickly to the signature "Perez has been in Formula 1 for 10 years and experienced all the ups and downs. He is aware of the great opportunity, no-nonsense will come [from him]."
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