Helmut Marko accused of giving Sergio Perez the 'kiss of death' as Red Bull issues mount
Sergio Perez signed a new contract with Red Bull at the start of June but has suffered a torrid run of form.
Red Bull chief Helmut Marko has been accused of giving Sergio Perez the “kiss of death” after insisting the Mexican’s recent downturn in form is “psychological”. The issues are mounting for Perez after he failed to clinch a podium finish for the fourth consecutive Grand Prix in Canada last weekend.
Perez has only ever won six Grands Prix, despite spending the last three-and-a-half seasons racing for the formidable Red Bull team.
The Austrian outfit have won 45 of the last 54 Grands Prix stretching back to the 2021 season climax in Abu Dhabi. But Perez’s team-mate Verstappen has been responsible for 41 of those. And despite the Dutchman dominating on the track once again this year, Perez has been left behind in the same car.
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Perez suffered back-to-back Q1 exits at the Monaco and Canadian Grands Prix after previously being dumped out in Q2 at the Emilia-Romagna race.
The 34-year-old hasn’t ended a race on the podium since the Chinese Grand Prix two months ago and hasn’t even finished either of the last two races.
He has also suffered more crash damage than any other driver this year and has fallen to fifth in the Drivers’ Championship standings.
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Despite his underwhelming performances, Perez was handed a new two-year contract at the start of June. And racing driver Justin Bell now believes it could be a long slog ahead for driver and team.
Discussing the performances of Verstappen and Perez at the Canadian Grand Prix on the Drive to Wynn Podcast, Bell explained: “Obviously, in contrast, Sergio Perez was dismal.
“Helmut Marko said by the way that he (Perez) has physiological issues which I’m sure in sportsman’s terms is a real kiss of death. So two years may seem like an eternity if we get there.”
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Perez will be desperate to return to the podium when the F1 season continues at the Spanish Grand Prix next weekend. Last year’s edition of the race was won by Verstappen, with Perez finishing fourth behind Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
But Perez may well be feeling the pressure more than usual ahead of the 10th race of the year after Marko told ServusTV earlier this month: “It's not the car, you can see that with Max. I think it's more psychological.
“It was close, and when the conditions change he finds it much more difficult. But the fact that it's already the third time [he failed to make Q3] is painful.”
