Helmut Marko blames Red Bull’s decision for Sergio Perez’s dismal Qualifying result at the Dutch GP

Helmut Marko admitted that Sergio Perez's job of being teammates with Max Verstappen is not easy.

Helmut Marko blames Red Bull’s decision for Sergio Perez’s dismal Qualifying result at the Dutch GP

Sergio Perez and Helmut Marko (via IMAGO)

Sergio Perez is having a difficult season in F1 this year. The Mexican driver has failed to match teammate Max Verstappen, who has dominated the sport in 2023. The 33-year-old was looking to improve his performance in the second half of the season. However, Perez had a disappointing result in Qualifying as he finished P7. Now, Red Bull consultant Dr. Helmut Marko has blamed Red Bull for this performance.

The Mexican driver lost our in the session as Red Bull decided to have him do another warm-up lap. Helmut Marko has now slammed this strategic call that hampered Perez’s result. As the 33-year-old failed to qualify at the front of the pack. He told Sky Sports Germany, “I think with Sergio it was not the right decision that he did another warm-up lap.”

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Helmut Marko admitted that Sergio Perez has perhaps the toughest teammate on the grid in the form of Max Verstappen. Moreover, the Red Bull advisor claimed that such a decision should not have been made considering the Mexican’s poor one-lap pace. Marko explained, “Being a teammate next to Max is one of the worst positions to be in at the moment. And we also know that Sergio is not the best qualifier.”

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Can Sergio Perez close the gap to Max Verstappen?

Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen (image via IMAGO)
Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen (image via IMAGO)

Presently, Sergio Perez is a whopping 125 points behind Max Verstappen in the championship standings. The Mexican driver has won two races this season compared to Verstappen’s ten victories. Perez is already on the backfoot at the Dutch GP after being 1.3 seconds slower than the two-time champion in Qualifying.

Certainly, Verstappen is a hard driver to match, and Red Bull understands that. As such, the Milton Keynes-based team has had patience with Perez. The Austrian team had previously demoted or sacked past teammates of the Dutch driver, Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon. However, the two drivers have shown their talent after being dropped from Red Bull Racing.

Thus, Helmut Marko insisted that Sergio Perez’s failure to Qualify at the front of the pack at the Dutch GP was due to an error in strategy. The 80-year-old emphasized the need for Red Bull to provide the best platform for the Mexican driver to perform, especially in terms of one-lap pace. Although, it remains to be seen how Perez will perform in the race on Sunday.

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