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Marko on Vettel alongside Verstappen: 'Wouldn't want to do that to him'
Sergio Perez gave Red Bull Racing its sixth one-two of the season at the Italian Grand Prix last weekend. Helmut Marko is pleased with the Mexican's performance at the 'Temple of Speed', even though he had to come from the third row of the grid after a perhaps slightly disappointing qualifying session. Furthermore, Marko also talked briefly on the future of Sebastian Vettel at Servus TV .
Sergio Perez
"It was definitely one of his better weekends. We know he has problems in qualifying. He has form fluctuations. He is South American. He is not as focused in his head as Max [Verstappen] or Sebastian [Vettel]," Marko told the Austrian television station, praising Perez's Sunday performance. "He [Checo] had to overtake three people: [George] Russell was not easy and with Ferrari we knew they were faster on the straights. He did absolutely everything right."
It is a trend we have actually seen all season. On Saturdays Perez struggles, but a day later he always makes up a lot of ground in the GPs themselves. Before the summer break, Perez even missed Q3 five times in a row, extremely embarrassing for Verstappen's teammate. Meanwhile, the routine driver seems to have it a bit better on track with three podium finishes in the last four races. Only in the rain in the Netherlands did he finish fourth.
The F1 season has nine more weekends at places where Marko believes Perez can excel better. "Now come circuits that suit him more. Last year he won in Singapore. We are optimistic," said the 80-year-old Austrian, reiterating that Perez is "just" second in the world championship and that his contract continues until the end of next year. What lies ahead after that? Marko doesn't know yet. "Sergio is over 30, his wife is having their fourth child. He already has a different lifestyle and other interests."
Vettel and Red Bull
Sebastian Vettel, whose record of most wins in a row was snatched by Verstappen last week, retired after last season. Is Vettel still an option at Red Bull Racing from 2025 after a two-year sabbatical? After all, after Verstappen, Vettel is Red Bull Racing's most successful driver and the relationship between them is still good.
Marko thinks Vettel will still get behind the wheel somewhere. "I don't think the 'driver situation' is over for him either," he said. But that's not going to happen at Red Bull. "Next to Verstappen - I honestly wouldn't want to do that to him. And when Sebastian comes back, he wants to drive with a top team and race for wins," leading to AlphaTauri being also ruled out.