Taskmaster Helmut Marko Ensures Level Playing Field for Sergio Perez in Battle Against “Headf*cK” Max Verstappen

Red Bull is all set to dominate this season after showing its prowess last year and this year’s recently concluded Bahrain preseason testing. But after facing allegations of favoring Max Verstappen over Sergio Perez over the past two years, the team has the challenge of keeping the playing field level for the duo.

This aspect becomes altogether more important after Max Verstappen’s dominance over his Mexican teammate almost cost the latter his seat at Red Bull. This has come to light after Red Bull boss Christian Horner was quoted from Drive to Survive’s latest season, episode 7, titled “Hot Seat,” as saying, “Look, having, you know, Max as your teammate is a bit of a headf*ck because you look at the data, and he’s doing it quicker and faster, and you think, ‘How the hell did he… did he do that?’”

But Helmut Marko has come out and said that the team has developed an equal car for both drivers. As quoted by RacingNews365 from Sky Sports Germany, the Austrian said, “Last season we had a car that Checo could handle very well at the beginning of the year, but as it was further developed, Verstappen became more and more satisfied with the car. The difference is that Verstappen likes a strong front, one that turns really sharply. Perez on the other hand is slightly different. He likes a less dramatic car.”

“However, this year we seem to have found a solution that will allow both drivers to use their own qualities,” he added.

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However, there remains skepticism as to how the team will ensure an equal car for both drivers. 

Red Bull’s expectations from Sergio Perez

Sergio Perez has been an excellent foil for Max Verstappen. He helped the Dutchman in crucial stages, which eventually led to him winning the championship consecutively. But when it came to his solo performances, the Mexican was expected to improve and deliver more often than he did. 

According to RacingNews365, Christian Horner has set his expectations for Perez, saying, “I think he’s continuing to evolve and grow within the team. I think he just needs to build on that and the confidence that he had last year. So it’s an important year for Checo and the team.”

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So the pressure is on Perez with Verstappen’s mammoth run. If the team does deploy equal cars, then, due to his age, as highlighted by Horner, the age factor benefits Verstappen.