Red Bull’s Helmut Marko praises Sergio Perez for surviving two years alongside Max Verstappen
Sergio Perez is the most accomplished teammate Max Verstappen had at Red Bull.
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Helmut Marko and Sergio Perez (Credits:Sports Rush)
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has praised Sergio Perez for standing his ground as Max Verstappen‘s teammate for two years. In an interview with German publication Sport.de, Marko hailed Perez’s resilience, noting that he had “survived” two years alongside Verstappen without being “broken” like most drivers. “That is a great achievement,” he said.
Perez enters his third consecutive year with Red Bull, becoming the first driver since Daniel Ricciardo to last three consecutive years as Verstappen’s teammate. Perez was signed in 2021 to replace Alex Albon, who failed to match the Dutchman’s pace. Marko feels that Perez has had to accept that Verstappen “has no weaknesses“, but he has also commended the Mexican for “not giving up“.
The duo had an excellent showing in 2021, winning the team’s first drivers’ championship since 2013. The following season saw both drivers put up their best individual performances yet, with Perez winning two races and Verstappen breaking a record with 15 wins. However, their relationship hit a minor bump towards the end of the season when Verstappen failed to give up his position to Perez, who needed it to secure the runner-up spot in the championship against Charles Leclerc.
Despite this hiccup, the team is hoping for a better showing this season and that the drivers have buried the hatchet. “Sergio is aware that Max is the number one driver, but we will give both drivers equal preference,” Marko commented. The ultimate goal is to win the constructor’s championship and secure first and second place in the driver’s championship.
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Sergio Perez’s time with Redbull is yet to be decided
Perez signed a two-year contract extension with Red Bull last season, which expires at the end of 2024. Marko is yet to decide on Perez’s future beyond this point. “Such talks and considerations usually start before or after the summer break,” he remarked.
The pairing of Verstappen and Perez has proven to be a winning combination for Red Bull, with the team securing the 2021 drivers’ championship and finishing first in the constructors’ championship in 2022. 2022 was a very dominant season for the Austrian team as they won 17 out of 22 races, and Max broke the record for winning most races in a year.
The team had a strong start to the season, with the two-time champion winning the season opener and the 33-year-old finishing as the runner-up to Max Verstappen. Red Bull is the team to beat this season, and it will be interesting to see if there will be any inter-team battles.
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Justin P Joy
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