Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images
With Pérez having struggled in recent weeks, Helmut Marko joins Christian Horner in supporting the driver
After a strong start to the 2023 Formula 1 season put Sergio Pérez in striking distance of teammate Max Verstappen atop the Drivers’ standings, recent form has seen Pérez slide back to Earth. Pérez failed to advance out of Q1 in the Monaco Grand Prix, starting at the back of the field and settling for a 16th-place finish.
Then a week ago in Barcelona, Pérez again struggled in qualifying. He could not advance out of Q2, and started 11th in the Spanish Grand Prix. He managed to pick up a number of spots to finish in fourth, but he also saw George Russell start behind him in 12th, but finish in third place.
It was the first time all year a driver started behind a Red Bull and beat them on the track.
Pérez remains in second place in the Drivers’ standings, but instead of looking ahead to Verstappen, he might be more worried about Fernando Alonso behind him. The gap from Verstappen to Pérez has expanded from 14 points following the Miami Grand Prix to 53.
In that same period of time, the gap from Pérez in second to Alonso has closed from 30 points to 18.
But while pressure could be mounting on Pérez from outside voices, those inside Red Bull are giving him the much-needed vote of confidence. Team Principal Christian Horner was first among those, telling Sky Sports that Pérez is now just “free to drive.”
Next up? Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko. The F1 veteran spoke with F1 Insider recently, and not only gave Pérez his support, but shot down any notion that the driver’s place with the team was in jeopardy.
”It’s all nonsense. Sergio’s place has never been in jeopardy and will never be in jeopardy,” declared Marko.
“It is an important element in achieving the goals we have set for this year,” Marko added. “We want to finish first and second in the Drivers’ championship and become Constructors’ World Champion as quickly as possible.”
Driving alongside Verstappen is no easy task, something Horner noted in his support of Pérez recently. But finding the right teammate for Verstappen, and one that can push the team to Constructors’ championships, opened the door to Pérez joining Red Bull prior to the 2021 season.
That first year with Red Bull, Pérez helped push Verstappen to his first Drivers’ championship, and the team finished just behind Mercedes in the Constructors’ championship.
Last year the team won their first Constructors’ title since 2013, and the success of both Verstappen and Pérez has Red Bull on track to repeat.
With that in mind, Marko believes that Pérez has an opportunity to focus on himself now, and not worry about fighting with Verstappen. “After his rather weak performances in Miami and Monaco, I just reminded Sergio that he should concentrate on his job. There he didn’t take advantage of the possibilities that were in him,” said Marko. “In the team with Max he has an opponent who is very difficult to beat. And not just from him, but from all pilots that exist at the moment.”
”He should therefore concentrate on himself and not try desperately to hit Max. And he should be there when things aren’t going optimally for Max,” he added. “Sergio’s good race after the failed qualifying session in Barcelona was again the first step in the right direction.”
Still, Marko knows full well that if Red Bull wants to repeat, they need two drivers at the front of the field. Which means the quicker Pérez regains his form from earlier in the season, the better off the Bulls will be. And if Red Bull wants to pull off the impossible, and make history as the first team to win every race in a given season, they need both Verstappen and Pérez at their best.
“In terms of sheer performance, we’re capable of that,” said Marko about Red Bull sweeping the season. “After all, it’s not an exaggeration to say that we’re going into all the races as favorites. But then you shouldn’t have bad luck. And with 15 races still to go, something happened quickly. It could get us in Montreal next week. The probability of realizing this dream only increases if both cars are capable of winning.”
With both Horner and Marko now clearly behind him, perhaps Pérez can get back to his form from earlier in the year, pushing Red Bull closer to that dream of a season sweep.
