10 June 2023 , 06:00
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Sergio Perez should not waste his energy worrying about his Red Bull future, according to Helmut Marko.
After a strong start to the season, the Mexican had endured a difficult couple of weeks. He won two of the first four races to match Max Verstappen in that regard and signal that he might just be a bona fide title contender.
However, things began to unravel for Perez in Monaco. He crashed in qualifying, forcing him to start last on the grid and, given how difficult it is to overtaken in the principality, he failed to score any points.
Perez needed to bounce back straight away in Barcelona last weekend. But it was not to be as another poor qualifying session saw him start 11th on the grid, before making his way up to fourth in the race.
Verstappen won both Grands Prix and now has a 53-point lead over his team-mate at the summit of the drivers' standings. Barring any sudden misfortunes for the Dutchman, a title challenge looks difficult for Perez now.
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Some have suggested his Red Bull seat might be in danger as a result of those poor recent results. But team adviser Marko, known for his blunt honesty, dismissed such talk as "nonsense".
"Sergio's place has never been in jeopardy and will never be in jeopardy," he told F1 Insider. "It is an important element in achieving the goals we have set for this year. We want to finish first and second in the drivers' championship and become constructors' world champion as quickly as possible."
Max Verstappen has been taking advantage of Sergio Perez's wobble (HOCH ZWEI/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)Red Bull are threatening to achieve that second goal in record time. The gap to their nearest rival – currently Mercedes – already stands at 135 points and only looks likely to grow further given the performance of the RB19, particularly in Verstappen's hands.
As for Perez's situation, Marko wants the driver to forget about those "weak" performances and refocus. "In the team with Max, he has an opponent who is very difficult to beat. And not just from him, but from all the drivers on the grid at the moment," the Austrian added.
"He should therefore concentrate on himself and not try desperately to beat Max. He should be there when things aren't going optimally for Max. Sergio's good race after the failed qualifying session in Barcelona was again the first step in the right direction."