Helmut Marko snubs Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez as he names the ‘best driver pairing’ in F1

Helmut Marko placed Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez's driver pairing behind another young driver lineup on the grid.

Helmut Marko snubs Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez as he names the ‘best driver pairing’ in F1

Sergio Perez (L), Max Verstappen (R), Helmut Marko (C) (via IMAGO)

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez have been performing extremely well at Red Bull for the past two seasons. Both the drivers scored a highly impressive P1 and P2 in the 2023 drivers’ championship. Hence, the duo was amongst the competitors for the best driver pairing on the grid. However, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko believes otherwise as he snubbed both Verstappen and Perez for the best driver lineup.

Helmut Marko does not hesitate to call out Red Bull and the team over their mistakes. Regardless, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez arguably form one of the better driver pairings on the grid. Both drivers rarely clash heads with and drive safely around each other. Hence, it was unexpected for Marko to snub Perez and Verstappen as the best driver pairing in F1.

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However, the 81-year-old put forth Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri as the best driver pairing on the grid. According to Marko, the reason for this was that both drivers at McLaren were extremely young. Additionally, both the youngsters were hungry to perform well in the pinnacle of motorsport. Also, Norris and Piastri got along well with each other and worked well at Woking.

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Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri at McLaren. They are young and they are hungry. Currently, they get along well and work well together.
Helmut Marko said, as reported by journaldemontreal.com.

Helmut Marko reveals the reason for extending Yuki Tsunoda beyond 2024 with RB

On the other face of the Red Bull family, RB has sustained a mediocre start to the 2024 season. Daniel Ricciardo fails to perform well in his VCARB01 and is outshined by Yuki Tsunoda. Additionally, the Japanese driver recently received a contract extension with the team due to his performance.

Helmut Marko
Helmut Marko (via IMAGO)

Marko reckoned that Tsunoda changed a lot in terms of character after joining F1. The 24-year-old ‘really improved’ in terms of development and also managed to limit his mistakes while racing. Additionally, the young age of the Japanese driver was another reason for extending his contract with Faenza for one more year.

Yuki has changed a lot since coming to F1. He has really improved in its development. He is an emotional pilot and he manages to limit his mistakes. It was in demand by other’s stables. He's young and he fits into our mold. That is why we have just extended his contract by one year.
Helmut Marko added.

Hence, Helmut Marko will continue to look over the Red Bull family despite his aging body. The 81-year-old has sorted his issues with Christian Horner and will hope for Red Bull to return to their dominant winning ways. The sport has started to become more and more exciting due to the top teams closing in on each other in terms of performance.

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