Marko Confirms Liberty Media Wanted Red Bull To Continue With Perez But Denies One Thing
F1Wednesday, 07 August 2024 at 09:45
Helmut Marko confirmed that Formula 1's owner wanted Red Bull to continue with Sergio Perez even after the summer break so he could participate in his home Grand Prix.
Sergio Perez has struggled greatly during the last eight races of the season, where he hasn't finished in a better position than P7.
These performances weren't in line with Red Bull's goal of securing the Constructors' Championship, and the Austrian team confirmed they would reevaluate the Mexican's position within their team during the summer break.
On Monday, after the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix, the team from Milton Keynes confirmed they would continue with the 34-year-old driver (to the surprise of many) even after the summer break.
This gave birth to new speculations that suggested it was in Liberty Media's (the owner of F1) interest for Perez to continue with Red Bull, so they asked the team to reconsider their decision to replace him.
Red Bull's motorsport advisor, Helmut Marko, addressed everything that was said about Liberty Media and Red Bull in his latest column for Speedweek.com.
While he confirmed that Formula One's owner would certainly like Red Bull to continue with Checo so he can participate at his home Grand Prix, he dismissed speculations that this would impact Red Bull's decision-making.
“"Reports that his continued commitment is due to Liberty Media's desire for him to race in Mexico are not true."”
“"They certainly want him to race in his home race, but our choice of driver is not based on Liberty Media's intentions."”
If it wasn't due to Liberty Media's involvement, what convinced Red Bull to continue with Sergio Perez? The 81-year-old suggested it had mainly to do with the "stability" of the team and the fact that Red Bull believes Checo is already fast enough, only not consistent.
“"Sergio Perez will continue to drive the Red Bull Racing car after the summer break, as there are now races on tracks where he was good last year and we are counting on stability."”
“"Perez doesn't need to get faster, just more consistent. And given the alternatives, he is still our best solution."”
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