Helmut Marko refutes Lewis Hamilton's "dangerous driving" claims about Sergio Perez

Helmut Marko believes Sergio Perez’s defensive driving against Lewis Hamilton at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was not "dangerous" as suggested by the seven-time world champion. Instead, the Austrian believes that Perez was fair in his defense, and “loyally” delivered what was asked of him by the team.

Speaking in a post-season interview with ServusTV, Marko said:

“He slowed down Hamilton by eight seconds in two laps, but in a very fair way. Of course, he said ‘dangerous driving’ again, we know that.”

“He is incredibly loyal and a team player. Of course, we have discussed certain scenarios with him, and he then delivers them – and without grumbling or any rebellion or questioning.”

On lap 15 of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, race leader Hamilton stopped for fresh tires, covering Max Verstappen who had stopped two laps earlier. When Hamilton emerged from the pits, his lead over Verstappen was more than eight seconds.

Meanwhile, Perez was kept out by Red Bull in an effort to slow down Hamilton and bring Verstappen into contention for the race. On lap 20, the Briton caught up with the Mexican and promptly passed him at turn 7. Perez, however, came back at Hamilton, cleverly using a combination of DRS and ERS to overtake the latter once again.

Furthermore, Marko revealed that Perez was carrying marginally more downforce than teammate Verstappen, which helped him emerge out of the third sector faster than the Mercedes driver. This also meant, however, that he also carried more drag, further compounding his straight-line deficit against Hamilton.

Regardless, Perez managed to hold off Hamilton from passing him by carefully placing his car to block out the latter’s attempts. By the time Hamilton passed the Mexican at the end of lap 21, Verstappen’s gap to the former was just under 1.5 seconds. Perez promptly let his teammate through and dived into the pits for fresh tires.

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Lewis Hamilton might have to decide on his F1 future regardless of FIA investigation

Earlier last week, reports from the British media emerged suggesting that Lewis Hamilton’s future in F1 depended on the FIA’s ruling on the controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Mercedes are reportedly in the dark about Hamilton’s intentions, despite team principal Toto Wolff recently having a “meeting” with his driver. In an interview following the season finale, Wolff had claimed that Hamilton was “disillusioned” with sport. The Austrian subsequently added that without “something changing” the Briton’s return to the sport would be unlikely.

The governing body recently announced that the findings from the investigation would not be published until the first race weekend of the 2022 season. In light of this, Lewis Hamilton might have to decide on his future regardless.