Helmut Marko reveals when Sergio Perez’s contract extension was signed
Helmut Marko revealed the exact date when Sergio Perez's contract extension was signed.
Sergio Perez won the Monaco Grand Prix after a flawless drive and some brilliant strategic decisions. He held on to take victory despite fast-degrading tires and pressure from Carlos Sainz just behind. With the victory, he became the most successful Mexican Formula 1 driver of all time, surpassing Pedro Rodriguez.
In doing so, one can say he avenged the ‘team orders’ he faced in Spain. Soon after the Grand Prix weekend was over, Red Bull announced that he had extended his contract by 2 years, keeping him at the Milton Keynes team till (at least) the end of the 2024 season. His team boss, Christian Horner was full of praise for Perez, saying that he is in the championship fight alongside Verstappen.
In Perez’s extension announcement on the official Red Bull Racing website, Horner had said:
“…We are delighted that Checo will continue to race for the team until 2024. In partnership with Max we believe we have a driver pairing that can bring us the biggest prizes in F1.”
Adding to his team principal’s statement, Perez had said: “We are working very well together and my relationship with Max, on and off the track, is definitely helping drive us forward even more. We have built tremendous momentum as a team and this season is showing that, I am excited to see where that can take us all in the future.”
The deal was announced on the Tuesday after the Grand Prix weekend, but it was obvious that the deal had been agreed prior to the race in Monaco. After taking the chequered flag, Perez had been overheard saying: “I probably signed too early.” to Christian Horner.
Helmut Marko: “[Perez] was extra motivated after the contract extension”
Speaking to Austrian newspaper OE24, Dr. Helmut Marko confirmed that the contract extension was in fact agreed upon before the race.
“On the Friday before the Monaco Grand Prix, we gave him a contract extension.”
This would surely have been extra motivation for the Mexican to perform better, as he would be able to prove that he deserved the extension completely. Marko was certainly happy with the extension and praised the duo of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
“He was extra motivated after this. It’s very nice to have this duo of drivers. We’ve already recorded five wins this year.”
From the numbers, Perez is certainly in the championship fight. The championship fight seems to be heating up, and will sooner or later reach its boiling point, provided that Ferrari are able to keep up. On being asked about the effects of this pressure on the championship leader, Max Verstappen, Marko said:
“Max remains calm. He has enough self-confidence. They [Ferrari] are under pressure. Charles Leclerc has had a hard time with that and mistakes are made, but that’s racing. In Monaco, we forced Ferrari to react to our pit-stop strategy. They reacted wrong.”
Sergio Perez’s victory at the Monaco Grand Prix brought him to within 15 points of his teammate, and just 9 points behind former championship leader, Charles Leclerc. He sits third in the table. There are 15 races left in the season. Next race weekend in Baku, Perez would hope to repeat his victory at the circuit from last season.
Also Read: Jack Plooij suggests Red Bull to ‘prioritize’ Max Verstappen ahead of Sergio Perez
Aniket Tripathi
(1002 Articles Published)