Amid their dominant F1 season, Red Bull finds themselves scrambling to mend things after Helmut Marko’s recent comments. As the Austrian team tries to make amends and sweep the controversy aside, the F1 community sees through their ‘shenanigans’ and realizes where their actual problems lie. F1 TV’s Will Buxton, Alex Brundle, and Lawrence Barretto united to discuss the ongoing issues within Red Bull around Sergio Perez.
Ahead of the Singapore GP, Perez addressed Marko’s apology after his racist and xenophobic comments. The Mexican driver explained he took no offense to the comments and added Marko apologized to him one-on-one. Perez accepted the apology and added he has known Marko long enough to know he did not mean it in that way.
Red Bull is creating an inhospitable environment around Sergio Perez
Addressing the situation around Sergio Perez, F1 presenter Will Buxton labeled it as not being the easiest of situations. He added the scenario doesn’t look like Perez has the best of relationships with his team, adding to a difficult environment for the Mexican. He then asked fellow presenter and former driver Alex Brundle his views on the matter, who said the team is asking more and more from the driver, which is adding unnecessary pressure on the driver.
“First, it was, ‘Get into Q3.’ He’s done that. Then it was, ‘You need to nail the positions in the races and move through.’ All of these things take that moment-by-moment judgment from a driver.”
“I just don’t understand why they’re clouding Chec’s mind with these unnecessary comments. And why they’re keeping and why they’re preventing that performance by adding anything unnecessary to a driver that they’re asking to focus.”
Buxton added to the comments by saying it is how Red Bull operates, and that is their “school of hard knocks.” The presenter added that the team will “keep ramping up the pressure until you break.”
Perez realizes a strong mentality helps survival in Red Bull
After a strong start to the 2023 season, Perez’s form saw a major dip, with Verstappen emerging as the run-away title contender. Having faced a storm of speculations around his potential departure from the team, the Mexican has steadily improved his performances and looks like he has his mojo back. With Verstappen as his teammate in a team like Red Bull, the veteran driver realizes one has to be mentally very strong to continue being part of such a demanding atmosphere.
📰: Sergio Perez questions his future at Red Bull beyond 2024. The Mexican driver desires to contribute but faces uncertainty amid Red Bull’s divided stance. While Christian Horner insists Perez will stay, Perez hints at exploring alternatives in 2024.#F1 #ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/qFPl70rFTz
— F1 Naija 🇳🇬 (@f1_naija) September 5, 2023
Besides wanting to prove his mettle to his team, Perez would look to return to winning ways to boost his morale while once again enjoying his form. The defending champion looks set to easily retain his title for a third consecutive year with only eight races to go. However, Perez refuses to throw in the towel and wants to win one or two more races before the season ends.
