Red Bull Racing’s esteemed Motorsport Advisor, Helmut Marko, has issued a wake-up call to Sergio Perez, urging him to revive his F1 World Championship aspirations and regain his top form.
Once again, the Mexican driver faced difficulties during the qualifying session for the highly anticipated Spanish Grand Prix. Perez’s challenges resulted in an 11th-place starting position on the grid, a setback intensified by a troublesome excursion into the gravel towards the end of Q2.
This recent setback compounds Perez’s woes following a crash during Q1 at the Monaco Grand Prix. The incident not only left him empty-handed in the principality but also jeopardized his chances of claiming the coveted championship title.
As if to add salt to the wounds, Perez’s teammate, the exceptional Max Verstappen, clinched a commanding pole position, further highlighting the urgency for Perez to turn his fortunes around.
Amidst Sergio Perez’s struggles, his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen delivered a commanding performance, securing a dominant pole position.
This remarkable achievement served as a poignant reminder of Perez’s challenges and further emphasized the need for a swift turnaround, as emphasized by Marko.
“With Sergio, things have not been going well since Monte Carlo. He needs to concentrate more on racing, not on the title. I hope he recovers himself,” Marko told Sky Deutschland.
“The whole weekend it was already the case that he was three-to-five-tenths slower. It’s now the second consecutive weekend [with issues].
“That’s a different situation and he believed in his World Championship dream. Checo is getting a relatively hard wake-up call now, but I’m sure he’ll pick himself up again.”
While Red Bull showcased an impressive display of speed in Miami, propelling Max Verstappen from a starting position of ninth all the way to first, Helmut Marko, the esteemed figure in Red Bull’s motorsport team, has expressed a more cautious view regarding Sergio Perez’s prospects.
“The podium I think is very optimistic,” he insisted.
“If it gets hot then tyre wear will be higher, but a three-stop is possible. Then it is possible that if he overtakes some cars he could still finish third, but that will be difficult.”
