'Perez Needs To Get Max Out Of His Head' After Massive Difference In Testing Says Marko

Helmut Marko advised Sergio Perez that he has to get Max Verstappen out of his head and focus on his own performance.

The pre-season testing finished on Friday 23rd. Each driver had one and a half days to get familiar with the car he would be driving this season and test various setups.

While it isn't too much time, every driver has equal conditions for preparation, and now they already have to focus on the first race of the season, the Bahrain Grand Prix, which starts in less than a week.

At this point in time, it is still a bit too early to say which teams will have the most competitive car, but the general notion is that Red Bull should start again in the front with a comfortable lead.

If that were true, Sergio Perez is the only driver on the grid who can bring the challenge to the triple World Champion Max Verstappen, who won the title during the past three seasons.

Last year, the Mexican driver wasn't very successful as he was outperformed by the 26-year-old in every single aspect, from qualifying to the race.

The problem was that the 34-year-old started the season pretty well and almost led the Championship after the first four races. He seemed confident in his ability to win the Championship.

However, as the season progressed, his younger teammate beat him in every race, seemingly taking away the Mexican's confidence.

Going into the 2024 season, Red Bull Racing F1 team's advisor Helmut Marko suggested that Checo has to focus on his performance primarily. As reported by AMuS, he said: "Perez has to get Max out of his head and run his own program."

Perez is currently one of the two drivers of the best team on the grid. But his contract expires at the end of the season, and he will need to prove himself with performance on track.

Do you think Perez will show a big enough improvement from the previous season to convince his team to offer him another contract?