With Red Bull continuing their partnership with Sergio Perez, despite a poor run of form, most experts believe the Milton Keynes-based outfit is making a mistake. But Helmut Marko is confident that if the team can help the Mexican driver out, a turn of form is just around the corner for him. To do the same, the team is now thinking of making the car more easy to drive.
According to a recent update by ESPN, Red Bull is looking to put Perez back in an early-spec RB20 to make life easier for him. When driving that car, Perez finished P2 in four races, and the subsequent changes have not been kind to him.
As Marko puts it, the more difficult a car is to drive, the more difference there is between Max Verstappen and his teammate. While the former calls a car “nervous,” Perez calls it outright undrivable.
| Helmut Marko admite que el coche de Red Bull Racing le resulta dificil de conducir a Sergio Pérez.
Helmut Marko ha dicho que Red Bull apoyó a Sergio Pérez porque el equipo siente que su coche se ha vuelto demasiado difícil de manejar para él y que un cambio de forma está a… pic.twitter.com/y2i8F2vGOg
— Gamal Liranzo Tavarez (@GamalLiranzo) August 7, 2024
“The more difficult the car is to drive, the more the difference to Max comes out because he’s such an outstanding talent.”
After a good start to the 2024 season, Perez fell way back in his performances, allowing McLaren to put pressure on his team. The Mexican driver blew away a P2 starting position in Spa-Francorchamps and finished the race in P7, putting his future with Red Bull into serious doubt.
Following the string of poor results, it is even more clear why Red Bull wants to put the 34-year-old back on the old-spec car.
The potential decision comes after Red Bull decided against axing the #11 driver. Reportedly, Liberty Media intervened to ask Red Bull not to let go of the Guadalajara-born driver before the end of the 2024 season. However, according to Marko, the decision to retain Perez stems from his merits.
Perez’s merits played a part in saving his seat
With the Austrian team reportedly putting Perez in an old-spec car, Marko is confident there is still time for them to turn things around. By making the car more stable in the rear, Perez can feel more comfortable driving it and can perhaps enjoy a return to form.
️ Helmut Marko has his say on the Red Bull futures of Sergio Perez and Liam Lawson (via Speedweek)#F1 #RedBull #Perez #Lawson pic.twitter.com/QeUo54jlGl
— Motorsport Week (@MotorsportWeek) August 7, 2024
Speaking to ESPN further, the 81-year-old claimed being Verstappen’s teammate is not easy, and Perez has had to pay the price. However, the Guadalajara-born driver comes with his own merits, having won races for them, and it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to give him another chance.
Marko further detailed that the intra-team discussions during the summer break have mostly been about what they can do to help Perez improve. Given the fact that he isn’t a bad driver, the team ultimately decided to make the car easy to drive.
