Helmut Marko thinks there is nothing negative to say about Sergio Perez as he seeks a new contract with Red Bull.
Perez’s current contract with Red Bull expires at the conclusion of the season, and the 2023 championship runner-up is looking for a new deal to keep his seat with the Milton Keynes-based team.
Helmut Marko: There is nothing to say about Sergio Perez.
While Perez finished second in last year’s drivers’ championship, the Mexican driver had a difficult season filled with driving blunders and dismal race weekends, which left him under a cloud and under a lot of pressure.
The goal for 2024 was laid out explicitly for him, with team boss Christian Horner and advisor Helmut Marko asking him to pull up his socks and perform more consistently in order to remain the first priority for 2025.
Perez has done so, finishing third, second, and fifth in the first five races and sitting comfortably second in this year’s championship behind Verstappen.
Perez’s confidence has grown significantly with more consistent qualifying, and he is now operating at the expected level alongside the Dutch driver.
While Perez must be concerned about Carlos Sainz’s availability on the driver’s market following the Spaniard’s release from Ferrari in light of Lewis Hamilton’s signing, Marko stated that there is now no reason to look beyond Perez for next season.
“As long as Checo [Perez] is in as good a form as he is now and he comes with reasonable conditions for an extension, there’s really nothing to be said against him,” Marko stated in an interview with Austrian newspaper OE23.
When asked what conditions Perez wants in his contract, financial or otherwise, Marko indicated that the primary sticking point is the deal’s duration.
“In fact, he even brings Mexican sponsors with him,” Marko went on to say.
“His demands are more about the duration of the contract.”
Horner stated during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend that Red Bull is not yet ready to make an announcement on its future driver lineup, despite Perez’s assurance that an announcement will be made in the coming weeks.
“It’s incredible that we’re at race five and there’s so much talk already about drivers for for next year,” Horner said in a statement.
“We’re really pleased with our two drivers.
“However, we don’t have to make a final decision on the lineup until much later in the year.
“Obviously, Max has a long-term deal. Checo [Perez] is out of contract this year, but he has driven incredibly well so far this season.”
When asked why Perez is driving so well after a difficult 2023 behind the wheel of the powerful RB19, Horner smiled.
“Probably because he’s out of contract!” he joked before responding more seriously.
“No, I believe he worked hard throughout the winter. He’s made a minor tweak to his approach to Grand Prix weekends, and he’s been extremely close in the first four races of the season.
“Particularly at a track like Suzuka that, last year, he struggled quite a bit but certainly, this year, was very competitive.”
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