Helmut Marko comment about Sergio Perez's future is exactly why Red Bull must move on
Another qualifying session, another horror show for Sergio Perez at the Brazilian Grand Prix as his mission to save his Red Bull Racing career continues to run on fumes
by Daniel Moxon · The MirrorA Red Bull failing to reach the top 10 in any qualifying session used to be a major headline. Now it is the norm.
So there was barely an eyebrow raised when Sergio Perez suffered yet another early exit on Friday. This time, he was qualifying for the Sprint race at the Brazilian Grand Prix and must now find a way to score points from 13th on the grid.
Plenty scoffed last weekend when Checo's father, Antonio Perez Garibay insisted he still believes his son "will be world champion". One of those was Red Bull's super adviser Helmut Marko, who laughed as he said he "honours his father's optimism".
Marko, along with team principal Christian Horner, has significant sway over Red Bull's driver decisions. So it hardly bodes well that he seems to have little faith in the Mexican's chances of ever being a title contender.
Which begs the question: Why do Red Bull continue to persist with a driver they do not believe in? After all, a team with their ambitions should have two drivers on the books who can be championship contenders, just like their main rivals McLaren do with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Marko also said after last Sunday's Mexican Grand Prix - Perez's home race in which he failed to trouble the top 10 - that "the future is uncertain" for the 34-year-old. Yet, he still shares a garage with Max Verstappen in Brazil this weekend.
As is often the case in F1, finances have played a significant role. Red Bull will not bat an eyelid at the cost of terminating Perez's contract, which is less than the £7million difference in prize money between first and second place in the constructors' championship. But he does have some very wealthy sponsors, most notably Carlos Slim-owned Telmex which has already said it will follow the Mexican should he leave Red Bull.
Plus, having already chosen to get rid of Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull find themselves short of immediate alternatives. Liam Lawson is being groomed as Perez's replacement but would need replacing at sister team VCARB if that change were made before the end of this season.
Isack Hadjar is next in line from the driver academy but the feeling among Red Bull chiefs is that he is not ready for Formula 1, despite being a serious F2 title contender this year. It has become clear that the team's top choice is Franco Colapinto who has been very impressive since stepping up to F1 two months ago, but they have yet to strike a deal with Williams.
They need the Argentine until the end of this campaign but have no room for him next year as Carlos Sainz has already been signed. It feels more and more likely that Perez will not be on the 2025 grid - and may have lost his place sooner if Red Bull were not forced to wait patiently for Colapinto.
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