Helmut Marko reveals the SHOCKING reason behind Sergio Perez’s struggles in the championship battle against Max Verstappen

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko claims Sergio Perez is in the best car but cannot keep up with his teammate Max Verstappen.

Helmut Marko reveals the SHOCKING reason behind Sergio Perez’s struggles in the championship battle against Max Verstappen

Helmut Marko, Sergio Perez, Max Verstappen (Images via F1 and Sports Illustrated)

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has a shocking explanation for Sergio Perez’s struggles in the championship battle with teammate Max Verstappen. Perez’s run in the recent Canadian Grand Prix was not something he would want to remember. And Max Verstappen securing the team’s 100th win rubbed salt in the wounds for the Mexican driver. Sergio Perez failed to make it to Q3 in the last three races. 

As a result of his poor qualifying sessions, the 33-year-old had to focus on recovery during the race. In Montreal, Perez qualified in P12 and finished the race sixth. It was not the ideal result for the RB19. Helmut Marko, a well-known personality in the Red Bull garage, had quite the explanation for Perez’s results in the recent races. Marko hinted that it was a talent issue. 

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Helmut Marko was asked why Perez is slower than Max Verstappen in the same RB19. The Red Bull advisor replied, “Because Max is Max. He’s in the best car, but even in that car only [Fernando] Alonso and [Lewis] Hamilton could keep up.” It is safe to say the Austrian considers Alonso and Hamilton the only drivers who can challenge Verstappen. 

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Helmut Marko praises Max Verstappen, says he is the strongest driver

Helmut Marko and Max Verstappen (Image via Red Bull)
Helmut Marko and Max Verstappen (Image via Red Bull)

Marko added, “Those three are simply the strongest, and Max stands out among them.” The 80-year-old praised the Dutchman for his brilliant performances. He claims no one can keep up with Verstappen as he is the best driver on the grid. The 25-year-old had a dominant weekend in Montreal and secured another win. It was his win number 41, equaling the Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna’s race win record. 

Despite Perez’s struggles, Red Bull seems to be over the moon. They celebrated their 100th win in Formula 1 after Verstappen claimed his sixth win of the 2023 season. It was a milestone that the team and Helmut Marko cherished. The 80-year-old was thrilled with the result and admitted he slept peacefully on the plane. He stated, “100 victories are a wonderful sleeping pill.”

Thus, Marko believes Verstappen is in a league of his own and way ahead of the others. Though he mentioned Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso’s names, the duo do not have the machinery to fight the mighty RB19. Meanwhile, it remains to be seen if Perez can catch up to his teammate and deliver better results in the upcoming races. 

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