Helmut Marko: Hamilton started to admit his mistakes

In the final stage in Qatar, Max Verstappen secured a third championship title earlier than planned. In an interview, Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko commented on his driver’s performance, the results of his rivals and Sergio Perez’s prospects.

Question: Congratulations on Max Verstappen’s early victory in the individual competition. Did you celebrate the title on the plane back to Europe?
Helmut Marko: No, I fell asleep straight away. The heat of Qatar also took its toll on me. But on Monday at seven in the morning I was back in the office.

Question: In an interview on Servus TV, Gerhard Berger said that the top riders in Qatar had fewer heat-related problems. Do you agree to this?
Helmut Marko: Absolute. Max looked good at the finish. Moreover, he had such a big lead in the race that he could not immediately attack after pit stops, but could drive at a leisurely pace for three or four laps to warm up the tires. The rest probably had to attack with full force the entire distance.

Question: Gerhard Berger also said that it was in Sergio Perez’s own interest to leave Red Bull…
Helmut Marko: Don’t you think you’ll hear an answer from me on the eve of the Mexican Grand Prix?

Q: But would you agree that this is an interesting opinion?
Helmut Marko: Berger says this based on his own experience. He drove in the same team as Ayrton Senna and knows what it is like for a driver when his partner is better and faster.

Question: Berger also said that Verstappen is better than Senna…
Helmut Marko: At first Gerhard did not share my euphoria about Max. Mr Wolff also said it was impossible to identify talent in Max and signed a management contract with Esteban Ocon.

Question: Toto Wolff was probably annoyed by his drivers’ collision in Qatar. Apparently Lewis Hamilton can now make unexpected mistakes. Do you agree?
Helmut Marko: Can I correct this? Now Hamilton is starting to admit his mistakes.

Question: However, Lewis is only 30 points behind Perez in the individual standings. Are you afraid of missing out on second place in the individual competition?
Helmut Marko: These concerns are well-founded. Without the collision, Hamilton would have scored another 10 or 15 points.

Q: What are you doing to help Perez get back into shape?
Helmut Marko: Sergio must try to make the best of it without looking back at Verstappen. And we try to help him with this. You see, there’s not a word of criticism from the team about him, just support. Maybe this will work.

Question: After the Austin stage you go to Mexico, where Sergio is treated like a national hero…
Helmut Marko: This doesn’t make things any easier for him. Moreover, the stage in the USA is a sprint, which he does not need at all. This makes it even more difficult because Sergio always needs time to get up to speed. I hope he will get through the Austin round with minimal losses and perform at full strength in Mexico.

Q: What is your relationship with Perez?
Helmut Marko: Very good. He supported me in recent history, as did Max, who expressed his opinions quite sharply to some people.

Remember, it was me who brought Perez to the team. But it is very difficult to perform next to Verstappen, as we have already seen with Gasly.

From this point of view, Berger is right: Perez needs a change of environment and team. We will see how the next two races go, but both the team and Sergio understand that he is in crisis.