F1 News: Helmut Marko Delivers Gloomy Sergio Perez Prediction After Another Q1 Exit

Saajan Jogia | Jul 7, 2024

Oct 23, 2022; Austin, Texas, USA; Helmut Marko of Red Bull Racing Team holds up the World Constructors' Champions trophy after the running of the U.S. Grand Prix F1 race at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko revealed that he doesn't see a chance of Sergio Perez scoring within the points in the British Grand Prix, given his pit lane start, courtesy of heading out on slicks in Q1 on a wet Silverstone that caused his RB20 to beach on the gravel.

After a brief rain shower before Q1, the track dried quickly, leading Perez to make a daring decision to run slicks. Unfortunately, this move proved disastrous when he lost control at Turn 9, ended up in the gravel, and caused the session to be red-flagged.

As a result, Perez ended up with one of the slowest times, only beating Pierre Gasly, who, due to a 50-place grid penalty, opted not to complete the session as the conditions improved. Despite the odds, Marko pointed out that Perez has a genuine excuse for not making it past Q1. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, he said:

“As an excuse, you can say that he was the first to go out on slicks.

“[He] then unfortunately hit the wet with his rear wheels. So everything comes into play.

“It doesn’t help to get out of this low. Thank God you can overtake halfway, but from P19 I don’t see much chance of getting into the points.”

The British GP qualifying marked Perez's third Q1 exit in the last five races of the 2024 season, highlighting a troubling form slump despite his new multi-year Red Bull contract.

On the other hand, Marko appeared very pleased with Max Verstappen’s qualifying performance. Despite picking up underbody damage to his RB20 after going through the gravel at Turn 9, Verstappen still secured a strong P4. He added:

“Max went off course in Turn 9 and had damage that was around 100 points in the range of downforce lost.

“Fourth place is sensational for that. We brought an update, which added up to six points. And that made up about half a tenth.

“The [underbody] will be repaired or a new one will be put on, and if we convert these points into time, then we are already up there with the front.”