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Helmut Marko reveals ‘easy’ condition for Sergio Perez to save his $10 million paying Red Bull seat

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Armaan Agarwal | Last updated 2/26/24

Max Verstappen and Red Bull have dominated Formula 1 for the past two seasons. However, Sergio Perez has failed to move out of the shadow of his world champion teammate. The Mexican driver’s current contract expires at the end of this year. Now, Red Bull Motorsport Consultant Dr. Helmut Marko has highlighted how Checo could win a new contract from Milton Keynes.

Sergio Perez had a disastrous campaign in 2023. Despite winning two races in the early stages, the 34-year-old fell far behind Max Verstappen’s record-breaking run. Subsequently, rumors began surfacing regarding Checo’s future. However, the Mexican driver managed to solidify his place with some decent performances at the end of the season.

Helmut Marko claimed that Perez needed to continue his impressive from late last season. The 80-year-old reckoned that such results would ensure that the 34-year-old gets an easy contract extension with Red Bull. Previously, Christian Horner had affirmed that it was Perez’s seat to lose for 2025 at Milton Keynes. Checo’s seat is perhaps the best available place on the current grid with the Mexican earning $10 million in base salary.

If he [Sergio Perez] drives in a form similar to that of the last races (of 2023) then you can easily talk about another extension. Helmut Marko told Motorsport-Total

Can Sergio Perez match Max Verstappen in 2024?

Perez has been adamant about challenging Max Verstappen for the F1 title in 2024. The Mexican driver would be looking to bounce back after an underwhelming season against the Dutch driver. However, the 34-year-old might struggle to outperform the three-time world champion once again this season. Moreover, this could leave the door open for someone like Daniel Ricciardo to try and replace Checo.

Max Verstappen has been full of praise for the Red Bull RB-20. The Dutch driver had a massive smile on his face after pre-season as the car suited his driving style. This could potentially hamper Sergio Perez’s ambitions as the Mexican has generally struggled to adapt to Red Bull machinery compared to the three-time world champion.

Perez has mentioned that Red Bull took a brave approach with its 2024 car. The 34-year-old seemed to have put in decent runs during pre-season testing in Bahrain. However, it remains to be seen if Sergio Perez could manage to save his F1 career at Milton Keynes with a decent 2024 campaign.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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