Helmut Marko confirms Max Verstappen’s inform ex-teammate won’t get a shot at redemption with Red Bull

Helmut Marko made it clear that Max Verstappen's former teammate was not in the running to replace Sergio Perez in 2025.

Helmut Marko confirms Max Verstappen’s inform ex-teammate won’t get a shot at redemption with Red Bull

Helmut Marko & Max Verstappen (Via IMAGO)

The 2024 F1 season would be very crucial for the majority of the grid. Multiple drivers have expiring contracts with their teams. As a result, the drivers need to score well throughout the season to ensure their job at their respective teams down the season. Max Verstappen‘s teammate Sergio Perez will be under pressure this year. If the Mexican fails to perform well down the season, he’s at risk of being ousted from Red Bull.

Helmut Marko recently opened up about Sergio Perez’s condition within the team. Moreover, the 80-year-old affirmed that ex-Red Bull driver Alex Albon wasn’t the first option for the team. Previously, some reports mentioned that Albon was given a first option from Red Bull to drive from 2026. However, Marko’s clarification means that the 27-year-old would likely not join Milton Keynes any time soon. The 80-year-old added that Perez couldn’t always drive at Max Verstappen’s level at Red Bull.

Albon is not [a contender] for us, he has a contract until 2025 [with Williams], Checo has to deliver consistent performance, it is clear he can't always drive at Verstappen's level.
Marko told Klienezeitung.
YouTube video

However, a couple of wins down the season and a runner-up finish in the drivers’ championship could ensure that the 33-year-old stays in the team for longer according to Marko. The Austrian asserted that the second seat at Red Bull with the reigning world champion was highly sought after. Additionally, Marko exclaimed that the seat was more of an ‘ejector seat’ because of the lack of drivers that can hold a candle to Verstappen’s dominant performance in the pinnacle of motorsport.

If he comes second in the World Championship, and gets one or two wins, he will certainly be [a contender] for 2025. The seat [alongside Verstappen] is, on the one hand, highly sought after, but on the other hand, it is an ejector seat as no team-mate can hold a candle to Max, and it can quickly become demoralising.

Helmut Marko hinted towards the possibility of promoting Daniel Ricciardo or Yuki Tsunoda to Red Bull

The same energy drink manufacturing giant in Formula 1 also looks after the current VCARB drivers. Hence, if the drivers perform well within their teams in the 2024 season, they could pave a path to one of the best teams in Formula 1. As a result, Marko stated that they could potentially replace Sergio Perez with Daniel Ricciardo or Yuki Tsunoda, depending on whoever performs well throughout the season.

Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Perez
Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Perez (Credits: Sky Sports)

However, Marko clearly mentioned that whichever driver ‘dominated’ the season within the team would receive a promotion to the parent team. Regardless, all these talks would be obsolete if Sergio Perez performs well down the season and doesn’t repeat the same trajectory as the previous season. The RB20 is highly capable of a one-two finish in the championship for the Red Bull drivers.

The 2024 season is extremely important to Perez. This season would solely decide the driver’s future in the sport. Hence, the drivers need to perform on their A-game and be on par if not perform better than the reigning world champion in the team. Additionally, rival teams would also be catching up soon to Red Bull’s pace and give them tough competition down the season.

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