Helmut Marko: « Pérez remains the best choice for Red Bull in 2024 »
Despite disappointing performances, Sergio Pérez has been retained at Red Bull until the end of the 2024 season. Rumors have surfaced that Liberty Media played a role in this decision. Helmut Marko has since denied this.
There will be no change of drivers at Red Bull in 2024. During the meeting organized after the Belgian Grand Prix, Christian Horner, Red Bull team principal, announced that the Mexican driver would remain in the team until the end of the season. This decision is surprising given Sergio Perez’s recent performances, a former McLaren driver, which have fueled some speculations.
An intervention by Liberty Media in the discussions
Some rumors indicated that Liberty Media, owner of the commercial rights of F1, and Stefano Domenicali intervened to keep Sergio Perez in F1 until the Mexican Grand Prix. However, these speculations were dismissed by Helmut Marko, head of the driver development program at Red Bull. He told Speedweek that Sergio Perez will indeed be Max Verstappen’s teammate when Formula 1 returns to Zandvoort.
« Sergio Pérez will continue to drive the Red Bull Racing car after the summer break, as there are now races on circuits where he performed well last year and we rely on stability,” said Helmut Marko. « The information that his continued engagement was due to Liberty Media’s desire to see him drive in Mexico is not true. You certainly want him to compete in his home race, but our choice of driver is not based on Liberty’s intentions,” confirmed the Austrian.
A lack of consistency in Sergio Perez
According to Dr. Helmut Marko, the Mexican’s poor results are not due to a lack of rhythm, as evidenced by his third place in qualifying at Spa-Francorchamps. Rather, they are due to a lack of consistency, especially in qualifying, where the driver has failed to reach Q3 on six occasions this season. He has always shown good performances, and during the last race weekend in Spa, he was very fast with the third place on Saturday [in qualifying]. Pérez doesn’t need to be faster, he just needs to be more consistent. And that’s still our best solution considering the alternatives.
The team manager took the opportunity to reiterate his confidence in Sergio Pérez. He explained that his underperformance in the race at Spa, where he finished seventh, was due to excessive tire degradation. Despite a two-year contract extension during the Canadian weekend, the Red Bull driver remains under pressure. If he fails to reverse the trend in the last 10 Grand Prix races, he could leave the Milton Keynes team.
The future of young Red Bull pilots
This decision could satisfy the young drivers of the Austrian team, such as Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar, especially as Helmut Marko promised them a chance in Formula 1 very soon. We will announce what will happen with Liam Lawson in September. The fact that he was allowed to acquire new kilometers of experience in Formula 1 at Imola has been planned for some time. Even if the team wants to loan him out, he is not available for that, he confided.
Regarding Isack Hadjar, Helmut Marko specified that the Frenchman has the potential for Formula 1 and could spend a year as a test and simulation driver, like Liam Lawson. With the many transfer rumors surrounding Red Bull, the end of the season may bring new changes to the Austrian team. The drivers will have to prove that they deserve their place in Formula 1 if they want to compete.
