New teammate for Verstappen? Marko is harsh on Perez again
- Ludo van Denderen
While Max Verstappen uncorked the champagne to celebrate his fourth world title, Sergio Perez walked through the Las Vegas paddock after another disappointing result. After Las Vegas, Perez is now assured of an eighth-place finish in the championship after finishing second last season. Will that will be enough for Red Bull Racing to give him a chance in 2025? It seems less and less likely.
Perez will hear not long after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix whether the Austrians will continue with him, external consultant Helmut Marko told Austrian broadcaster ORF. "After Abu Dhabi, there will be a meeting and the results of this meeting will be presented to the shareholders. They will then decide what the driver situation for both teams will look like next year," Marko said.
Perez did not perform as Marko wants
In doing so, he was not positive about Perez. "I don't know exactly how big the difference is now, but I think Checo has more than 200 points less than Max. And then it's clear that the constructors' title is no longer possible.... So if Sergio would have been anywhere near Hamilton and Russell or Ferrari or even McLaren, we would be way ahead again."
VCARB drivers Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson would be only too happy to take over Sergio Perez's spot at Red Bull. Tsunoda will test with Red Bull after the season in Abu Dhabi. Yet Lawson is reportedly the biggest contender for the seat next to Verstappen.
This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton