F1 News: Verstappen has destroyed another teammate – Marko (Update)

Sergio Perez is just the latest in a long string of teammates Max Verstappen has destroyed. Now, Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has openly criticized former team driver Pierre Gasly for his inability to acknowledge teammate Max Verstappen’s superior speed while they were teammates at Red Bull.

In 2019, Pierre Gasly faced immense challenges matching the pace of Verstappen. This culminated in a mid-season demotion back to Toro Rosso, now known as VCARB, following a string of underwhelming performances, including a collision at the German Grand Prix and a significant gap to the front-runners at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where he was lapped.

Marko pointed out that Gasly’s struggles were partly due to his refusal to adapt to the car’s established setup. He commented to the media:

“We told Gasly that he should use the Verstappen setups. He has to adapt it to his driving style.

“He should concentrate on driving and not constantly tell Mr. Newey how to build the car for him.”

Reflecting on the tensions, Marko remarked on an incident following the Budapest race in 2019:

“Yes. When he was lapped in Budapest, he wanted a different suspension.

“He’s not an engineer. He was just running out of excuses and simply couldn’t accept that Max is just the faster guy.”

Marko spoke of the Dutch driver’s unique talent:

“I’m not looking for a new Max because Max is unique.”

Marko also touched on the current speculation surrounding Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez. The Mexican driver signed a 1+1 contract extension earlier in the year, however, his recent underwhelming performances have cast doubt over his future with the team. Marko concluded:

“And it will be difficult for anyone to be his teammate. We have a situation where our second driver unfortunately, isn’t performing as he should. So we will have an evaluation in the summer break of what we are going to do.”

(GMM) Sergio Perez is “mentally battered”, as Dr Helmut Marko refuses to deny raging speculation that Red Bull may decide to oust the struggling Mexican driver within 2024.

Rumors are also still swirling that Max Verstappen might make a shock switch to Mercedes next year, but Red Bull F1 consultant Marko insists that is not the most pressing matter at the team at the moment.

“If, if, if. That’s all speculation,” he told Osterreich newspaper, when asked if Mercedes’ resurgent form this season could convince Verstappen to trigger an exit clause and leave.

“Mercedes have taken a step forward. But that doesn’t mean they have the fastest car yet,” Marko added. “Silverstone with its cool temperatures was good for Mercedes. They usually struggle in the heat.

“But what is normal about this season? We’re experiencing such ups and downs that we’re sometimes at a loss,” the Austrian said.

“Our focus is on winning the world championship and making sure Perez gets back to normal form.”

Indeed, as Mercedes but also McLaren and Ferrari significantly close the gap in 2024, Perez’s flailing form really could end up losing the constructors’ world championship for Red Bull.

“With all the bad luck he’s had, he (Perez) is mentally battered,” Marko, 81, said.

When asked if Red Bull really could terminate Perez’s new contract if he is 100 points behind Verstappen at the summer break, Marko answered: “Almost all the top drivers have performance clauses in their contracts.

“Nothing is certain in Formula 1.”

After Lewis Hamilton’s return to the top step of the podium at Silverstone after a nearly three-year winning drought, Marko hailed the seven time world champion and said it’s clear the 39-year-old has not lost his speed or wits.

So does he think switching to the suddenly-struggling Ferrari team for 2025 and beyond is a clear mistake for Hamilton?

“I can’t say,” Marko responded. “Ferrari has lost an important man in chassis boss (Enrico) Cardile. Let’s wait and see what happens with Adrian Newey.

“He has some top offers, including from England, and can decide where he goes.”

Also true is that triple world champion Verstappen has a standing offer from Toto Wolff to make the switch to Mercedes as early as the 2025 season.

“Max wants to win, of course, and that’s understandable,” Marko said. “Although races like we are currently seeing are certainly not bad for the sporting image of Formula 1.”

As for whether Red Bull can bounce back this weekend in Hungary after two consecutive defeats to Mercedes, Marko concluded: “It won’t be that easy.

“We didn’t have the fastest car at Silverstone, because we have a problem – if not several. But as long as we extend our lead in every race, it’ll be fine.”