Max Verstappen helped save Sergio Perez's Red Bull career as Helmut Marko opens up
Sergio Perez signed a new contract with Red Bull earlier this year, but he had a helping hand from his team-mate.
Helmut Marko has revealed that the approval of Max Verstappen and his father, Jos Verstappen, helped to keep Sergio Perez in the second Red Bull seat for 2025 and beyond. The Mexican driver signed a multi-year contract extension ahead of the race in Canada despite a challenging start to the season.
Perez was drafted into Red Bull to replace the struggling Alex Albon for the 2021 season and initially enjoyed a strong start at Milton Keynes. However, as time has passed the gap between himself and team-mate Verstappen has grown considerably.
In 2023, he accumulated fewer than half of Verstappen’s points as the Dutchman claimed his third World Championship, and in 2024, the gap has widened with Perez failing to secure a finish higher than seventh in the last five races. Ahead of the British Grand Prix, he sits fifth in the standings, already over 100 points behind his colleague.
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Regardless of his struggles, however, Perez earned a new deal. Despite the best efforts of Daniel Ricciardo, Yuki Tsunoda and Carlos Sainz, Red Bull opted to extend their partnership with the Mexican into 2025, and potentially 2026 if both parties are content. Verstappen played a role in the decision too.
Explaining the role of the Verstappens in deciding Perez’s future, Marko told Viaplay: “They wouldn't have agreed with every team-mate,” before adding: “Max wants a nice environment in which he can work. He and Perez are equal on the technical side. Sergio doesn't dream of the title anymore. And it doesn't matter who sits next to Max, they will all be beaten anyway.”
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However, while his performances show no signs of improving, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner continues to back his man. “Checo’s position within the team, and what he has contributed to the team, warranted that. But, of course, there is always pressure to perform. That is irrelevant of contracts, which we will never go into the detail of.”
He continued: “Checo knows it’s a pressure business. He knows the scrutiny, especially in a car that is winning races with the other driver. That’s Formula One. That pressure naturally exists on any teammate that is under-delivering.
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“The media start asking questions and it’s easy to lose your head at that. I’ve been impressed by Checo, over the past four years, that whenever the pressure is really on, and it’s on now, he’s always been able to bounce back. He’ll have to dig deep to do that."
