F1 News: Helmut Marko Frustrated With 'Unpredictable' Sergio Perez

Saajan Jogia | Jul 25, 2024

Jun 8, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez (MEX) in the pit lane at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko expressed frustration about the challenge of defending the Constructors' Championship, where the team leads McLaren by 51 points. He strongly stated that Sergio Perez's unpredictable performances in recent races have become a "big problem".

Marko revealed that Perez's performance "goes up and down with him", while Max Verstappen single-handedly steers the team into points every race weekend by battling rivals at the front of the Formula 1 grid.

The Dutchman has built such a substantial lead over his teammate that Perez's recent slump in performance has become increasingly evident. For example, while Max Verstappen has amassed 129 points over the last seven Grands Prix, Sergio Perez has only accumulated 21 points during the same period.

Writing in his Speedweek column, Marko revealed that Red Bull's Constructors' Championship lead is threatened by Perez's underperformance, while Verstappen still maintains a safe, three-win lead in the Drivers' Standings. He wrote:

"Max [Verstappen] is still 76 points ahead in the drivers' championship, while McLaren has closed the gap to 51 points in the Constructors' Championship.

"Verstappen's lead is three wins, so that is sufficient, if not reassuring. However, we need to perform consistently and be able to win on our own again. Defending the drivers' title will certainly be less difficult than defending the constructors' title.

"As McLaren continues to score points with both drivers, our biggest problem is that we have been scoring far too few points lately with [Sergio] Perez."

Expressing his views on Perez's unpredictable form, Marko wrote about his performance from last weekend's Hungarian GP:

"It was a typical grand prix weekend for Perez: unpredictable.

"Checo [Sergio Perez] was very good on Friday and was just behind Max Verstappen, with the best long runs of all drivers as well. 

"Then unfortunately, a silly mistake in qualifying followed, resulting in the 16th starting position, followed by a very strong race to seventh place. 

"It goes up and down with him, nobody knows when he's going to shine or when he's going to make a mistake. He's just not putting in consistent, good performances."