Helmut Marko dampens enthusiasm of Sergio Perez’s father: “With all due respect to a father, but..”. Helmut Marko expressed some skepticism regarding the possibility of Sergio Perez one day winning the F1 title.

Helmut Marko responded to Antonio Perez’s optimistic statements regarding his son Sergio’s chances of one day becoming world champion.

Despite his son’s eighth place in the drivers’ championship with more than 200 points less than his teammate and a performance record that is, to say the least, embarrassing for a driver in Red Bull colors, Antonio Perez is certain: Checo will one day become a Formula 1 world champion.

“The best of Sergio is yet to come,” declared Perez’s father triumphantly on the eve of the weekend in Mexico City – “I am sure that in due time he will have the weapons and tools to fight for the world championship. I am very excited. I can say that Checo will be world champion.” – he pointed out.

Of course, just glancing at the results over the past two years, especially in the last six months, it’s hard to even imagine Perez capable of raising his level to a point where he could compete with true champions like Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, and the rest.

Slightly optimistic words
Even Helmut Marko, upon hearing the words of Sergio Perez’s father, expressed some skepticism regarding the possibility of his son one day winning a world championship: “With all due respect for a father’s optimism, but…”

Not even the home crowd managed to lift the Mexican driver’s spirits, as he sank once again with a heavy Q1 elimination, his fifth in an utterly forgettable Formula 1 season. Another disaster followed in the race, although contact with Liam Lawson significantly impacted the final result.

“This is a results-based business,” commented Christian Horner at the end of the race, discussing yet another lackluster weekend for his driver, which further complicated Red Bull’s position in the constructors’ standings.

“When someone underperforms, there will always be scrutiny. As a team, we need both cars to bring home points. That’s the nature of Formula 1.” From the team’s point of view, we are working with him as much as possible to try and support him. I think we’ve done everything we can to support Checo, and we’ll continue to do so in Brazil next weekend. However, there comes a point where nothing more can be done.” – the Red Bull team principal admitted at the end of the 2024 Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix.