Helmut Marko dismisses Sergio Perez, blunt rejection: “It’s been clear for some time…”. Red Bull abandons the championship dream and... Checo Perez .

The relationship between Helmut Marko, Red Bull advisor, and Mexican driver Sergio Perez is far from idyllic, with Perez increasingly on the outskirts of the team. During Thursday’s free practice in Las Vegas, the Austrian further cornered his driver, describing him as a true hindrance to the Milton Keynes team.

It was certainly not a smooth first day on track in Las Vegas for Red Bull. The unusual Thursday practice ended with grimaces and question marks on the faces of the Austrian team’s personnel. The disastrous FP2 not only yielded nightmare placements – P17 and P19 – but also brought the realization that the rear wing they had brought was entirely wrong.

The tension is palpable, and Red Bull risks having to race in Nevada with the sole goal of damage limitation. Securing the constructors’ championship in the United States now seems a far-off possibility for Max Verstappen, while the constructors’ title objective appears to be pure utopia. For Helmut Marko, never a fan of diplomacy, the blame clearly lies with Sergio Perez.

Red Bull abandons the championship dream and… Checo Perez
The 1943-born Austrian expressed vibrant discontent over the second free practice session to the German publication Motorsport-Total: “With this performance, we have absolutely no chance of finishing second in the constructors’ championship, let alone first…”

To an already understandable discontent over Red Bull’s shocking FP2, Helmut Marko added a blunt rejection of Checo. “This has been clear to us for some time… If you compare the points Perez has scored to Max’s, you can see where our weakness lies.”

“We’ll see now if we can at least secure the drivers’ title with Max,” the Red Bull advisor concluded. In reality, Max Verstappen only needs one final step to clinch his fourth consecutive title. The story is decidedly different for the constructors’ championship: the Austrian team is paying dearly for Perez’s poor form, and despite having a contract renewal through 2025, he will remain at the center of driver market rumors for weeks.