Helmut Marko, the enemy at Red Bull’s house | OPINION

This week, Helmut Marko, advisor and one of the most influential voices in the world of Red Bull motorsport, once again showed that he is not comfortable in front of microphones. Accustomed to praising Max Verstappen and criticizing Checo Pérez, this time he once again pointed out the Mexican driver. After Checo achieved second place in Italy and made notable overtakes on Sainz, Russel and Leclerc, Helmut stated: “The race in Italy was without a doubt one of Checo Pérez’s best weekends, and we know that he has problems in the classification, where it hesitates. Let’s remember that he is South American and that is why his approach is not as strong as that of Max Verstappen or as Sebastian Vettel was; “But racing is his strong point, and he had a very good race.” Marko made a notable mistake by referring to Pérez as South American instead of North American, and overlooked that the Mexican is the driver with the second most victories this season.

This Austrian veteran commits a notable heresy by ignoring, or perhaps forgetting due to the passage of time, the lineage of South American drivers in the category and the thirteen titles that Fangio (5), Senna (3), Piquet (3) and Fittipaldi (2) achieved in the history of Formula 1.

It is curious that Helmut belittles South American drivers when precisely in his last season in Formula 1, in 1972, the South American Emerson Fittipaldi was proclaimed champion after winning five of the races that year. Many will say that he has a selective memory.

South American champions

• 5 JM Fangio 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956 and 1957 (runner-up 1950 and 1953)
• 3 A. Senna 1988, 1990 and 1991 (runner-up 1989 and 1993)
• 3 N. Piquet 1981, 1983 and 1987 (runner-up 1980)
• 2 E. Fittipaldi 1972 and 1974 (runner-up 1973 and 1975)

Sergio’s contract with Red Bull is scheduled to expire in 2024. Although his runners-up finish seems almost inevitable, as he is 49 points behind Alonso and his mild-mannered Aston Martin in the standings, the Red Bull team has shown no intention to renew your contract.

Helmut has made his preferences clear: “Lando Norris is definitely a candidate for us. At Toro Rosso, we had already reached an agreement with him at that time until his representative realized that there was a contract option with McLaren. In terms of youth and speed, he would be a great addition for us. Sergio, on the other hand, is over 30 years old and is expecting his fourth child. So he has other interests too, so we will see what happens next,” stated the Red Bull veteran.

Faced with a reality that contradicts any “Great Place to Work” survey, the Mexican pilot has not been immune to so much provocation. “My future? The only thing I know is that I want to be in an environment where I feel that I can contribute, and if that place is not here, we will have to look for other alternatives,” recently admitted the Mexican driver with the most victories in the history of the premier category.

Beyond tastes and opinions, the cold numbers of Checo’s career include six victories, 33 podiums, three pole positions and eleven fastest laps. These are impressive numbers that will most likely add up to a runners-up finish this season. These numbers are enough to suggest to Helmut, at 80 years old, that considering retirement would not hurt.

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