20/08/2024
NEWS STORY
Following the decision to retain Sergio Perez for the remainder of the season, Helmut Marko is confident that the Mexican can turn things around.
The Austrian team's decision to continue with Perez came as a shock to many, most likely to the Mexican himself, and while he is known to have Christian Horner's support it appears that Red Bull's Lord High Executioner, Helmut Marko, also continues to have faith in the 6-time race winner, at least outwardly.
"We believe that we can turn it round and make it more stable for him," he tells ESPN. "To be teammate to Max is not the nicest thing in Formula One. Checo has his merits, he's won races.
"Our discussion was not just about drivers," he says of the post-Spa meeting, "it was regular discussions we had of what can we do to improve the situation?
"We have to try to make the car more easy to drive," admits the Austrian. "The more difficult the car is to drive, the more the difference to Max comes out because he's such an outstanding talent. If the rear steps out he won't lift the throttle, he's just, 'yeah, it's a little bit nervous,' Checo says 'it's difficult' or 'its undriveable'.
"So to be next to Max is a different story. So we said let's try to make the car more easy to drive, get more balance, which is also something Max wants, and the best thing is to keep going with Checo and hope that he... the main problem was this up and down. He had some very good results, very good performances, then the next day he was half a second off Max or so."
Despite the numerous updates, there is speculation that the team is considering reverting - in the Mexican's case - to the spec he had at the start of the season when he was giving Verstappen a run for his money, finishing second to his teammate in Bahrain, Jeddah and Japan and third in China.
In a further twist to the situation, at a time Perez' future with Red Bull was already in doubt, the team offered him a contract extension for 2025. Though the recent meeting guaranteed his seat for the remainder of this season it is still unclear if that new contract will be honoured.
If he doesn't turn things around Marko admits that Red Bull faces a difficult decision going forward.
Daniel was put in the car and if he would have been significantly faster than Yuki there was an idea to bring him back to Red Bull," says the Austrian. "But he also had this up and down. So, so far, he didn't fulfil the criteria to be a Red Bull driver."
Marko has previously admitted that Liam Lawson, who is under consideration for both the Red Bull seat and possibly Ricciardo's at RB, will "get his chance" and that there will be news next month.
Lawson, who greatly impressed when he replaced the injured Ricciardo last season, is thought to have a clause in his contract whereby he can look elsewhere if he doesn't have a decision on his future by next month.