McLaren have urged Sergio Perez to up his game after an underwhelming start to the season for his new team.
Whilst team principal Martin Whitmarsh admits they haven’t given him the best car, he says the Mexican’s performances have only been ‘reasonable’ and he shouldn’t be satisfied with that.
“We haven’t given him a great car so far, and he is up against someone like Jenson who has done a fantastic job with the car we have given him,” said Whitmarsh.
“We, as a team, have to step up and support a young driver who has an enormous amount of talent.
“And with these tyres that are very fragile, with a car that is not quite there and with tricky racing, he did a reasonable job.
“But he is not satisfied with himself and nor should he be.”
Despite some drivers complaining about Perez’s defensive driving, Whitmarsh believes Perez must ‘toughen up’ when it comes to overtaking and defending.
“I think he has been very polite so far, and he needs to toughen up,” he added.
“He has been generous in allowing people past him and I think he was a bit more robust in China.”
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