Red Bull breaks silence on claims about Liberty Media FORCING them to not axe Sergio Perez
Sergio Perez will be a Red Bull driver at least until the end of the 2024 season.
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Sergio Perez and Helmut Marko
Sergio Perez has had a torrid season so far. The Mexican showcased himself as a safe second driver in the initial races but his performances soon went downhill, making his sacking by the hierarchy inevitable. However, doubts emerged regarding Liberty Media‘s role in saving Perez’s Red Bull seat due to concerns regarding the Mexican GP attendance, which outright have been dismissed by Helmut Marko.
Red Bull was the fastest car in qualifying in Belgium, but its star driver, Max Verstappen, faced a grid penalty causing the burden to lie on Sergio Perez‘s shoulders for the race. The Mexican started the event on the front row as Charles Leclerc pipped him for pole, but his race went down the drain as he failed to save his position from weaker cars and eventually finished P7(after George Russell‘s disqualification).
The Belgian GP was understood to be the last straw to break before the Mexican was to be sacked. However, the team later announced that they were firm on Perez continuing at Red Bull, which was understood to be influenced by Liberty Media.
Reports that his continued commitment is due to Liberty Media's desire for him to race in Mexico are not true. They certainly want him to race in his home race, but our choice of driver is not based on Liberty Media's intentions.Helmut Marko wrote on his column at Speedweek
Subsequently, Helmut Marko was not entertained by such speculations and deemed them false. He further asserted that Liberty Media has no power to change their decision, and it was a decision made by the hierarchy to keep the 34-year-old in the team for longer.
Helmut Marko remains optimistic for the race in Zandvoort
While Perez has only scored 28 points in the last eight races, his teammate Max Verstappen has been one of the highest point scorers on the grid. However, Red Bull has recently lost their status of having the fastest car and wants to bounce back in Zandvoort.
The Dutch GP would be the home race for Verstappen, and the team would dearly want to secure the win for its star driver.
One thing is clear: Qualifying in Zandvoort will be crucial, because overtaking is almost impossible there. And Max could well manage a good qualifying, because he has been good there recently. We were the fastest in Austria and also in Spa. In Hungary we were only a few hundredths of a second off - so we are complaining at a high level.Helmut Marko wrote on his column at Speedweek
The Austrian claimed that Zandvoort is a tough track for overtaking. This would emphasize qualifying for securing a good result. Regardless, he reckoned that the reigning champion would take on the track quite easily and be present at the sharp end to extend his advantage in the championship.
On the contrary, while Verstappen would be eyeing to extend his advantage, Red Bull might concede points if Perez’s struggle continues for longer. Thus, they would have to act soon, or else McLaren and Ferrari are lurking in the background to pounce on them.
In case you missed it:
- Can Max Verstappen actually consider a shock move to Aston Martin?
- Max Verstappen confesses Red Bull having a ‘hard time’ no matter which track they race at
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Geetansh Pasricha
(772 Articles Published)