‘We believe we can turn it round’ – Marko explains why Red Bull have stuck with Perez and how they are helping him

Helmut Marko has insisted Red Bull believe they can help Sergio Perez turn his form around after an underwhelming string of performances this season.

The Mexican driver extended his contract with the team in June, but following a poor run of results there was speculation that another competitor could end up taking his seat. Ultimately Red Bull chose to stick by the racer during the summer break and are to run an unchanged line-up.

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Perez has not finished on the podium since the Chinese Grand Prix, and has been outscored by Max Verstappen at all bar one race weekend this season, leaving him seventh in the drivers’ standings.

With Red Bull facing a tight battle for the constructors’ crown with McLaren – just 42 points separate the teams – it is more important than ever that Perez can be relied upon to secure major points hauls.

Speaking to ESPN Red Bull advisor Marko explained that Red Bull still “believe that we can turn it round and make it more stable” for Perez this season, to maximise his performances over the final 10 races.

“To be team mate to Max is not the nicest thing in Formula 1,” he added. “Checo has his merits, he's won races.

"Our discussion was not just about drivers, it was regular discussions we had of what can we do to improve the situation. We have to try to make the car more easy to drive.

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"The more difficult the car is to drive, the more the difference to Max comes out because he's such an outstanding talent. If the rear steps out he won't lift the throttle, he's just 'yeah, it's a little bit nervous'. Checo says 'it's difficult' or 'it’s undriveable.'”

Red Bull have faced tough competition in 2024, providing the team with new challenges that they did not have to consider during their dominant seasons of 2022 and 2023.

Perez will be hoping to rediscover his form from those years, as he has stated he is feeling “refreshed and ready to go” after the summer break, and he will also contend with a change in Race Engineer from father-to-be Hugh Bird to Performance Engineer Richard Wood.

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Marko also said that the team will try to “make the car more easy to drive, get more balance, which is also something Max wants” over the remaining races.

“The best thing is to keep going with Checo,” he commented. “The main problem was this up and down.

"He had some very good results, very good performances, then the next day he was half a second off Max or so."