Helmut Marko makes COLOSSAL blunder in latest dig at Sergio Perez

A social composite of Sergio Perez and Helmut Marko over a map of South America and Mexico — Photo: © LAT Images

F1 News & Gossip

Marko makes COLOSSAL blunder in latest dig at Perez

The Austrian was speaking about Perez after the Italian Grand Prix

Shay Rogers

Thursday 7 September 2023 21:57 Updated: 08:14

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Helmut Marko has sparked controversy after taking an inaccurate and harmful dig at Sergio Perez following a string of poor performances so far in 2023.

Appearing on Austrian TV, Marko claimed that Perez’s fluctuations in form were due to the fact that ‘he is South American’, even though his native country Mexico is in North America.

It isn't the first time that Marko has attempted to lay into Perez, after calling his Monaco crash 'unreasonable', his Dutch Grand Prix performance 'lucky', and bemoaning his Canadian Grand Prix qualifying result.

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Perez currently sits 145 points behind team-mate Max Verstappen with eight races to go, meaning the title is likely to be wrapped up by the Japanese Grand Prix for the second consecutive season.

Marko: His mental focus isn’t as consistent as Max or Sebastian

“It was certainly one of the better weekends, and we know he has issues in qualifying,” he said to Austrian outlet Servus TV. “He experiences fluctuations in form; he's South American, and his mental focus isn't as consistent as it was with Max or Sebastian.

“However, the races have mostly been good, and his race yesterday was very, very strong.”

The Mexican fought through the field to help Red Bull achieve a sixth 1-2 of the season and remind everyone what he is capable of on a Sunday.

Sergio Perez attacks the Monza circuit during Free Practice

“So, we're optimistic, and strangely, among our achievements, a 1-2 finish has been missing and we're really excited to have finally achieved that." Marko concluded.

The final eight races will be a crucial period for Perez as he looks to secure his seat for 2024 and beyond.

Marko has recently spoken about an old agreement with Lando Norris, confirming he would ‘definitely be a candidate’ if Perez is unable to live up to expectations in the final eight races of 2023.