Helmut Marko has given a remarkably frank evaluation of Crimson Bull driver Sergio Perez, saying the Mexican has lastly “woken up” from his dream of turning into a Components One champion.
Perez’s horrid kind since ending second on the Miami Grand Prix in Might has corresponded with teammate Max Verstappen’s run of seven straight wins, permitting the Dutchman to open a 118-point lead.
The return of Daniel Ricciardo to AlphaTauri forward of the Hungarian Grand Prix elevated hypothesis about whether or not Perez would see out his present Crimson Bull contract, which runs till the top of 2024.
Marko, maybe essentially the most outspoken persona in F1 and the top of Crimson Bull’s driver programme, downplayed the opportunity of Perez being changed, saying he can now concentrate on enhancing his kind now he is aware of he will not beat Verstappen to a championship.
“We have now a contract with Perez till the top of 2024. He’s second on the planet championship. What want do we’ve got to take motion?” Marko informed Motorsport-Complete.
“He has now woken up from his world championship dream. Perhaps that can assist him to focus once more on delivering the absolute best efficiency.”
In accordance with Marko, Crimson Bull’s solely expectation from Perez is that he’s a strong second behind Verstappen.
“Max is underestimated,” Marko added. “He’s an distinctive driver. Simply trying on the psychological capacities he nonetheless has. He even seen on the radio when my cellular rang!
“He has such expertise, such velocity. And he is on cloud 9, nobody would look good subsequent to him. Verstappen is a totally totally different yardstick.
“That Perez needs to be inside three tenths [of a second] of Max is a beneficiant interpretation on our half. Generally it was extra.
“Perez is second on the planet championship. Extra will not be potential for him. He’s fulfilling that in the intervening time.”
Perez’s struggles have largely been confined to qualifying periods, which then have pressured him into restoration drives in races.
Marko mentioned qualifying has all the time been a weak spot of Perez, even when Crimson Bull evaluated him alongside a younger Ricciardo years earlier than they made it to F1.
“He delivers superb races, he overtakes nicely. Solely the errors in qualifying are there. That has all the time been his weak spot.
“Even at our junior qualifying in Estoril [Portugal] years in the past, Ricciardo and Perez had been very younger again then. We simulated qualifying runs and lengthy runs.
“They had been the quickest, however Perez wasn’t there in qualifying.”