With yet another disastrous performance to kickstart the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend, Sergio Perez may see his chances of fighting for the world championship slipping away. The Mexican only managed to qualify 11th on Saturday, just a week after he failed to score any points in Monaco.
In stark contrast, championship rival Max Verstappen not only won last weekend’s race in Monaco but has also qualified on pole for the Spanish GP. As Perez‘s form continues to dip, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko believes that the Mexican feels increasingly pressured because of his title hopes.
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However, the stark contrasting results of both Perez and Verstappen recently may suggest that the title is slipping completely in the Dutchman’s favor. This is because, coming into this weekend, Verstappen already had a 39-point lead in the championship over Perez. And with the 25-year-old now also qualifying on pole, he is likely to increase his lead even further.
Helmut Marko hopes Sergio Perez “recovers” amid a downturn in form
While speaking in a recent interview with Sky Deutschland, Helmet Marko said (as quoted by motorsportweek.com), “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“.
Despite Perez’s ongoing struggles, Marko remains optimistic that there is still a slight chance that his driver can pull off a remarkable recovery drive on Sunday. The 80-year-old believes that the Mexican can finish third in the race, provided he can overtake some cars early on.
Marko believes that Verstappen never saw Perez as a ‘threat‘
In a previous interview, Helmet Marko ruled out Sergio Perez’s chances of winning the title. He went to the extent of stating that reigning champion Max Verstappen never even saw the Mexican as a real ‘threat.’ While speaking to oe24 ahead of the Spanish GP, the 80-year-old said, “In truth, Max never saw any serious danger in Perez.”
🗣️ | Max Verstappen denies taking any pleasure from Checo’s Monaco weekend
“No [I don’t take any pleasure from it]. I think mainly just the team, of course, they want to score more points but that’s Monaco, you know, it can bite you. I’ve been in that position myself.” pic.twitter.com/jjKK0EhOwm
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) June 2, 2023
Irrespective of whether Verstappen views Perez as a threat, the Dutchman seemed to sympathize with the Mexican’s recent struggles. After the conclusion of last weekend’s Monaco GP, in which Perez crashed out during qualifying, Verstappen stated that he does not take any ‘pleasure’ from such an incident and has been in a similar position.
