Helmut Marko has Sergio Perez in sights after Daniel Ricciardo: “I can only guarantee a seat to those who perform well”. Helmut Marko does not guarantee Sergio Perez will remain with Red Bull.

Is Sergio Perez still at risk?
The post on social media, quoting one of the iconic scenes from *The Wolf of Wall Street*, may not have put an end to the speculation about Sergio Perez’s future in Formula 1. While the Leonardo DiCaprio character screams, “I’m not leaving,” which, in this case, can be interpreted as “I don’t plan on retiring,” the decision may not be entirely in the hands of the 34-year-old Mexican driver. Helmut Marko needs convincing, and after being instrumental in replacing Daniel Ricciardo with Liam Lawson in Racing Bulls, he may complete the work by refreshing the Red Bull driver lineup.

Helmut Marko’s opinion
Perhaps by placing one of his Junior Team protégés alongside Max Verstappen. This theory was confirmed by Helmut Marko himself, who, in an interview with the German website Sport.de, emphasized that Checo’s biggest flaw—his inconsistency in performance—has been putting the team at a disadvantage in the title fight against McLaren: “Guarantees for Sergio Perez that the contract for 2025 and 2026 will be respected? The only guarantee is when your performance is good. But we all know by now the fluctuations in Checo’s performances.” – he pointed out.

“Especially when the car changes with little notice,” the 81-year-old former Austrian driver added, “he always needs a bit more time to adapt. This is definitely an important factor, which explains why McLaren is stronger than us, at least in terms of their driver pair. As for pure speed, I’m sure Perez can make it. But the problem is his ongoing performance fluctuations, which are becoming increasingly difficult to predict.” – the Red Bull advisor concluded.