Perez In Trouble: 'He Needs A Change In Climate And Team' Says Marko

Thursday, 12 October 2023 at 12:00

Updated at Saturday, 14 October 2023 at 13:10

Red Bull Racing's advisor Helmut Marko says Sergio Perez needs to change team after a series of failed Grand Prix races.

Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez has been hit by another massive wave of criticism after the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix weekend, during which the Mexican driver achieved only a single point.

Multiple experts like Former F1 World Champion Nico Rosberg have come out to say the gap between Perez and his teammate Max Verstappen is too big at the moment. Perez is more than 200 points behind his teammate in the Drivers' Championship.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has warned that the Mexican driver needs to "urgently get back into shape" after the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix. Perez suffers another blow as the Red Bull team's advisor, Helmut Marko (who works closely with Horner) told Austrian news outlet OE24:

"Seen this way, [Gerhard] Berger’s statement [about Perez] is the right one: He needs a change in climate and team. Now let’s see how the next two races go. But the team and he are aware that he is in a crisis."

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While Horner held Perez's side in the most recent statements, saying Checo has the pace he needs to get back into his form, Marko seems to have given up on the Mexican driver.

"But this is simply Verstappen’s fate he is suffering now. That was already the case with Gasly. After a weak performance at the Red Bull Ring, he was already lapped at the next race in Hungary."

Marko now seems to agree with the statement of former Formula One driver Gerhard Berger given to Speed Week at the end of August. Berger sees Perez as a normal driver who just "will never be able to consistently beat Max".

"With Perez, it’s not a mental problem or anything like that. He’s a normal driver, a good driver, with a team-mate who is an exceptional talent. If Sergio is intelligent, he will find himself another team where he can break the deadlock and show his performance there. But he will never be able to consistently beat Max."