Perez 'Can't Always Drive At Verstappen's Level' According To Marko
F1Tuesday, 27 February 2024 at 22:30
Helmut Marko stated in a recent interview that Sergio Perez can't always drive on Max Verstappen's level. He also offered conditions for him to be considered for the 2025 seat.
It seems like Sergio Perez currently has his future in F1 in his own hands. After an unsuccessful 2023 season, 2024 might be the most important one in his career.
The Mexican driver's contract with the team from Milton Keynes expires at the end of this year, and Red Bull will only consider him if he can improve his performance.
Otherwise, the team might decide to give a shot to someone else, like RB drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda or Carlos Sainz- who will be leaving Ferrari at the end of this year.
Marko clarified that Red Bull doesn't expect the 34-year-old to match the speed of the triple World Champion. The Red Bull Racing F1 team advisor told Kleine Zeitung:
"Checo has to deliver consistent performance. It's clear that he can't always drive at Verstappen's level."
The fact is that throughout the three years that Perez and Verstappen spent together in Red Bull, the 34-year-old never came out on top at the end of the season.
The closest that Checo came to the Dutchman in the end-of-year Drivers' Championship results was in 2022 when he finished 149 points behind, which is still quite a significant margin.
How high are the Mexican's chances of keeping his seat with the top team on the grid? Marko asserted he would "certainly be considered" under two conditions below.
"If he comes second in the Championship and gets one or two wins, he will certainly be considered for 2025."
The Austrian team is apparently aiming for another one-two in the Championship, which only hints how confident they are in their 2024 challenger - RB20.
Nevertheless, it remains to be seen how Perez can deal with the pressure, knowing his career is on the line this season.
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