Sergio Perez’s future with Red Bull was hanging in the balance before the team confirmed he would continue alongside Max Verstappen for the rest of the 2024 season. However, several reports suggested that Liberty Media had a role to play in the team’s decision to continue with Perez. Helmut Marko has now completely denied such claims.
After the Belgian Grand Prix, there were rumors that Red Bull had already decided to part ways with the Mexican driver due to his underperformance. Reportedly, the team had even communicated to Verstappen’s camp that a new teammate would be introduced to him after the summer break.
However, Liberty Media reportedly urged Red Bull to reconsider the dismissal of Perez due to financial considerations. The concern was that firing Perez could significantly impact the revenue generated from the Mexican Grand Prix, as the 34-year-old is a popular figure in Mexico and his presence at the event is likely to attract more spectators.
With the Mexican Grand Prix scheduled for late October, the timing of this intervention was critical, especially as there were still tickets available for the race. However, in his column on Speedweek, owned by Red Bull, Dr. Marko clarified that F1’s commercial rights holder had no role to play in the team’s decision.
The 81-year-old explained that Perez was still the best solution for the team going forward as they are focusing on stability. He also mentioned that the Mexican has a good track record in several of the upcoming races in the season.
Regarding the rumors about intervention from Liberty Media, Marko wrote, “Reports that his continued involvement is due to Liberty Media’s wish for him to drive in Mexico are not true. They certainly want him to contest his home race, but our choice of driver is not based on Liberty’s intentions.”
️ | Helmut Marko addresses recent rumours about Red Bull’s driver line up decision being interfered by Liberty Media
“There’re rumours that the decision to have him to stay is due to Liberty Media’s wish for him to drive in Mexico are not true.
They certainly want him to race… pic.twitter.com/ZWeCQCHJB0
— RBR News (@redbulletin) August 7, 2024
However, this does not mean that the majority of the people are happy with Red Bull’s decision.
Former F1 boss urges Red Bull to take Perez’s situation seriously
In a recent episode of the ‘Formula for Success’ podcast, former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan emphasized to David Coulthard that Christian Horner should take Perez’s decline in performance seriously. Coulthard was also in agreement as he said, “This isn’t [the] show ‘Friends.”
While the two believe that Red Bull could still manage to win the championship this season despite Perez’s underperformance, they believe that the team will need to seriously look at their option for next year if they want to remain at the top in F1.
