Red Bull's Helmut Marko tells Sergio Perez to "get a grip” on F1 qualifying performances
Red Bull motorsport advisor has urged Sergio Perez to “get a grip” on his qualifying performances after his latest disappointment at the F1 British Grand Prix.
Perez will start Sunday’s grand prix at Silverstone from 15th on the grid after being dumped out of Q1, while Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen claimed yet another pole position.
It marks the fifth consecutive race that Perez has failed to reach Q3 and qualify inside the top-10.
Marko has now called on the Mexican to up his game when it comes to qualifying, which he admitted has “always been a weakness of his”.
“Perez needs to get a grip on his qualifications,” Marko told Sky Sport.
“Usually, he drives good races, but he’s now lucky again: you can easily catch up here
“It has always been a weakness of his. It just happens too often and he has to work on that.
“We’re also going to work on it, because if one driver is in front and the other 16th, something isn’t right.”
Marko also aimed a brutal swipe at the under-pressure Nyck de Vries, who is battling to salvage his AlphaTauri career.
"He is second in the standings and delivers good races, which distinguishes him from Nyck de Vries,” Marko continued about Perez, who is contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2024.
“At the moment there is no need to take action. There is also no one available to replace him."
Daniel Ricciardo is waiting in the wings to pounce on any opportunity and told Crash.net earlier in the weekend that he would be willing to drive for sister team AlphaTauri next year if it “creates a path” back to Red Bull.
