Sergio Perez has recently made some interesting statements about his time at Red Bull. The difficulties he faced alongside Max Verstappen also led him to experience complicated moments away from the paddock, with Dr Helmut Marko even inviting him to see a psychologist and presenting him with a bill of 6,000 dollars, an episode that has already sparked widespread discussion.
Montoya: “Marko told me my speed and stupidity could not coexist”
The Mexican driver managed to have the entire amount covered by the former Austrian driver, but the same cannot be said for Juan Pablo Montoya. Speaking on the “MontoyAS Podcast”, the Colombian recalled his own experience with Marko back in 1997, when he was racing in Formula 3000 for the team known as RS Marko.
“The only person who ever sent me to get checked was Helmut Marko,” Juan Pablo Montoya explained. “At the time, it was his team. He didn’t send me to a psychologist, but to an ‘energy healer’. He believed there was something wrong with me. I remember him telling me that my stupidity and my speed could not coexist. I went once, maybe twice, and nothing came of it.”
For some, this kind of statement might be shocking. How could a driver of Juan Pablo Montoya’s caliber submit to such behavior? It is worth remembering that in 1997 the Colombian had not yet made it into Formula 1, and his career at that stage depended entirely on the team he was racing for.
“I remember very well what happened and how much it cost,” Juan Pablo Montoya continued. “At the time, the apartment I was living in was a bonus provided by the team. I was personally financing my season, so if he told you to jump, you jumped.” Being 1997, the expense was significant for Montoya, although it was nowhere near comparable to the 6,000-dollar bill faced by Perez.
“Back then it cost me about 100 dollars,” Montoya recalled. “I had no money, I couldn’t afford a car. I used to get around by bus, and sometimes I didn’t even take that. I would skate around on rollerblades to save money. For me, 100 dollars was a month’s worth of expenses.”
These were different times, in the late 1990s. The world of racing has changed enormously since then, but after this confession, Sergio Perez can at least consider himself fortunate not to have found himself dealing with Helmut Marko in a very different era from the one Formula 1 operates in today.
The contrast between Sergio Perez’s $6,000 therapy bill and Juan Pablo Montoya’s $100 “energy healer” session highlights how the ruthless management style of Helmut Marko has remained a constant throughout decades of Formula 1 history. While the sport has evolved into a multi-billion dollar business with a focus on mental health and driver support, Montoya’s trip down memory lane on rollerblades serves as a gritty reminder of the sacrifices drivers once made just to stay in the good graces of the “Kingmaker.” It seems that whether it is 1997 or 2026, the price of a seat at Red Bull always involves more than just talent on the track.
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