Helmut Marko claims Sergio Perez’s uncertain future at Red Bull played a role in ‘satisfying’ P2 in Qualifying

Sergio Perez needs to convince Red Bull to get a contract extension beyond the 2024 F1 season.

Helmut Marko claims Sergio Perez’s uncertain future at Red Bull played a role in ‘satisfying’ P2 in Qualifying

Helmut Marko and Sergio Perez (Via: Imago)

Sergio Perez managed to qualify on the front row for the Japanese GP right behind pole-sitter Max Verstappen. The Mexican driver is under pressure to perform this year with his current contract expiring at the end of the season. Now, Red Bull Motorsport Consultant Dr. Helmut Marko has reckoned that this could be the reason behind this impressive result.

Marko recalled that Sergio Perez had his worst weekend of the last season at the Japanese GP. The 80-year-old claimed that everything went wrong for the Mexican driver that race and had to retire the car. Subsequently, Helmut Marko reckoned that the P2 in Qualifying this weekend would be satisfying for Perez.

Last year [in Japan] in particular was Sergio's worst race. Everything went wrong then, so I think it's particularly satisfying for him.
Helmut Marko said, as reported by Motorsport.com
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The Red Bull advisor highlighted that Sergio Perez had what it takes to fight at the front of the grid. However, the Austrian mentioned that the uncertainty over his future at Milton Keynes could’ve played motivated him to improve his performances at an early point this season.

You can see he can do it. But perhaps it also plays a role that next year’s contracts are at stake – this year much earlier than usual. That also seems to be very motivating.

Helmut Marko stated

Helmut Marko claims its ‘too early’ to decide on Red Bull’s vacant seat

Red Bull is the dominant team in Formula 1 since the start of the ground-effect era. As such, joining Milton Keynes could allow any driver to potentially fight for race wins. Previously, Christian Horner claimed that over a dozen of drivers were interested in replacing Sergio Perez.

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

Helmut Marko pointed out that usually driver decisions are not discussed in Formula 1 in the month of April. However, the situation at Red Bull has attracted significant attention in recent weeks including Sergio Perez’s results. Nevertheless, Marko affirmed that Milton Keynes was not prepared to make a call on Perez’s seat for the time being.

Normally we don't talk about driver decisions at all in April. But somehow, the whole thing seems to have moved forward a lot. But it's still too early for us. We will certainly wait some time before we make a decision.
Helmut Marko concluded

Certainly, Sergio Perez has been trying to prove his worth to Red Bull this year. The 34-year-old aims to win an extension with the team for next season. As such, Checo would be looking to challenge Max Verstappen for the race win in Sunday’s race. Fans could potentially witness a fight between the two Red Bull drivers at the Japanese GP.

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