Red Bull chief Helmut Marko makes feelings clear on Perez’s nightmare Mexican GP
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has played down the effect that Sergio Perez’s lap-one crash with Charles Leclerc will have on his future with the team, insisting that they still plan to honour the contract that runs until the end of the 2024 season.
The Mexican driver endured a disappointing qualifying session in Mexico City, lining up fifth on the grid behind AlphaTauri driver Daniel Ricciardo, but an excellent launch put him on the tail of the leaders heading into turn one.
Sensing an opportunity to lead his home race at the end of the opening lap, Checo launched an overly ambitious move around the outside of Leclerc’s Ferrari. The pair made contact with the home hero exiting the clash worse off. Red Bull engineers worked ferociously to get his car back out on track, but the damage proved terminal in the end.
“The opportunity was there,” Marko said when asked about Perez’s lap-one incident after the race.”He was on the outside and Leclerc was on the inside. It was a racing incident. You can’t blame anyone for that. The opportunity was there, he was on the outside and Leclerc was on the inside. It was a racing incident. You can’t blame anyone for that.”
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Red Bull’s advisor was also asked about whether or not the crash changed the answer to the question of Checo’s future. He responded by telling Sky Germany: “How many times do I have to repeat this?
“Checo has a contract for 2024 and that will happen. He had a super weekend until the first lap of the race and I am convinced that he would have been on the podium.”
Despite Marko’s protests, the conversation surrounding Perez’s immediate future has only gotten louder after the Mexican GP. Not only was his turn-one move on Leclerc poorly judged, but Ricciardo – who is seen as the natural replacement should Checo leave Red Bull – produced AlphaTauri’s best result of the season.
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The popular Aussie qualified a sensational fourth on the grid on Saturday before converting that in a P7 finish on Sunday, pushing Mercedes’ George Russell all the way in the battle for P6 on the final lap.
That result will have no doubt delighted Marko and Red Bull boss Christian Horner. Ricciardo’s six-point haul has lifted AlphaTauri from tenth to eighth in the Constructor Championship standings – a boost worth £14.8 million ($18m) in prize money.
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