Luca Baldisserri explains why Ferrari preferred Bianchi over Pérez
In an interview with the Italian site Omnicorse.it, Luca Baldisserri, head of the Ferrari Driver Academy, believes that the Frenchman and the Mexican are not yet ready to join a top team. He explains the reasons that led Ferrari to release Pérez and, consequently, to bet on Jules Bianchi.
For a long time during the 2012 season, Sergio Pérez was considered the potential successor to Felipe Massa at Ferrari. Yet, it is the McLaren colors that the Mexican will defend in 2013, replacing Lewis Hamilton, who moved to Mercedes. Judged by Luca di Montezemolo as not yet having the shoulders to handle the pressure of a top team, the Mexican has since made numerous mistakes, thus casting doubt on his ability to handle the pressure of a team that will likely be able to regularly compete for victories, and possibly more, in the upcoming season.
As the head of the Ferrari Driver Academy, which Sergio Pérez joined at the end of 2010, shortly before starting his career with Sauber, Luca Baldisserri compares him to Jules Bianchi, the other hope of Scuderia, for the Italian site Omnicorse.it: « If I have to be honest, these are two boys who are not completely ready to join a top team. They both still have reactions that lead them to overdo it when it’s not necessary. »
In order to test the two young drivers, the Maranello firm invited them for a comparative test day on September 15, 2011, which turned out to the advantage—time-wise—of the Frenchman: « When we saw them working on the car under equal conditions, we noticed that Jules’ approach was much more positive than Sergio’s. Perhaps the Frenchman, because he knew the team, was more at ease with the engineers compared to Pérez. I must also say that Jules’ attitude was that of a boy who needs to learn, whereas Sergio, because he had some Formula 1 experience, already seemed to have several years of experience. »
If he admits that Pirelli tires are more suited to Sergio Pérez, Luca Baldisserri nevertheless highlights Jules Bianchi’s adaptability: Jules, having done more Formula 3 than Sergio, manages to drive more with the rear of the car. Therefore, he is not a driver who solely relies on the longitudinal grip of the tires and the car. In short, he is not the type of driver who brakes late and turns, but rather tends to carry a lot of speed into the corner. […] Sergio is somewhat advantaged by the use of Pirelli tires as they were until the end of the 2012 season, with a lot of longitudinal grip and little lateral grip that perfectly suits his driving style. I must also add that when Jules tried this type of tire, he managed to adapt to these new characteristics because he has the ability to change his way of driving quickly. They are two very interesting drivers and perhaps Jules benefited from growing up with our program, which allows him to know the team members better. That’s why we gave Sergio his freedom and are keeping Jules.
Thus, like Jo Ramirez, Luca Baldisserri expects Sergio Pérez to continue his learning at McLaren, something he has no doubt the British team is prepared for: “Sergio still needs to work; he still needs to be guided. I don’t think he is ready to be a protagonist within a team fighting for the championship, even if he could prove me wrong. I believe that at McLaren, they will need to do specific work on him. In Woking, they must be prepared anyway because they have already had a positive experience with a very young driver. But it must also be said that both Lewis Hamilton and Sergio [Pérez] do not have the same character…”
