Red Bull Motorsport Advisor Helmut Marko believes Sergio Perez was 'lucky' to finish the Dutch Grand Prix after his crashes at the end of the race. Perez hit the barriers at Turn 1 after aquaplaning off into the barrier when the heavy rain hit with nine laps to go, then the Mexican hit the barriers entering the pits the following lap causing damage to the front of his car. The team was seen making repairs during the late red flag to his car, including both the front and rear wings of his RB19. According to Marko, the damage was substantial enough to prevent Perez from continuing. "He was still lucky with the pit-stop because he crashed quite hard when entering the pit lane," the Austrian told Viaplay. "On top of that, there was another penalty because he was late with the brakes. He was still lucky. Without the red flag [later in the race] he would not have reached the finish line."
Red Bull reaffirms position on Perez
Perez picked up a five-second time penalty at the end of the race because of speeding in the pit lane, causing him to drop outside of the podium and down to fourth at the flag. The points gap is now 138 between him and Verstappen, while Fernando Alonso has closed in with his seventh podium of the season on second in the Drivers' Championship. With questions over the Mexican's future at the team, Marko reaffirmed Perez's position within the team. "We still have the confidence in him, as he has to finish in second place this season," he said. "However, he builds up the pressure entirely for himself. But yes, to be honest, everyone besides Max has a difficult life." Verstappen's former teammate Alex Albon managed to qualify ahead of Perez before finishing eighth in the Grand Prix, sparking some speculation over whether he could return to his former team. "He was always ready to drive alongside Max," Marko said of Albon. "Alex has improved a lot, but I can't name a single driver who is at Max's level right now."
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