Sergio Perez Needs to Reset Expectations, Says Red Bull Advisor Helmut Marko

Red Bull's number two driver, Sergio Perez, has experienced a string of setbacks in recent races, which has left him trailing behind his teammate Max Verstappen in the championship standings. The Mexican driver had enjoyed a successful start to the season with two wins in the first five races. However, since then, his performance has been inconsistent.

Marko believes that Perez needs to refocus his energy and forget about his championship aspirations for now. "He needs to concentrate more on racing, not on the title," Marko said. "The whole weekend it was already the case that he was three-to-five tenths slower. It’s now the second consecutive weekend [with problems]."

Perez joined Red Bull at the start of the 2021 season after being released by Racing Point (now Aston Martin). Despite winning a race in 2020 and finishing fourth in the drivers' championship, he was replaced by four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel.

The Mexican driver was initially seen as an excellent addition to Red Bull's lineup, providing a more experienced teammate for Verstappen than his previous partner Alex Albon. However, Perez has struggled to match Verstappen's pace this season and has fallen behind in the championship race.

Marko acknowledged that it is still early days in the season and that Perez could recover from his slump, but he also warned that expectations needed to be adjusted. "Checo is getting a relatively hard wake-up call now, but I’m sure he’ll pick himself up again," Marko said.

Despite Perez's struggles, Red Bull has remained competitive thanks to Verstappen's performances. The Dutchman has taken four pole positions and won five races this season, including a dominant victory in Spain last weekend. Verstappen currently leads the championship by 53 points.

Red Bull has also benefited from a strong car, the RB19, which has been faster than any other team in most races. However, the team will face a challenge in the coming weeks as they visit tracks that have traditionally favored Mercedes, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Marko is aware of the challenges ahead, but he remains confident that Red Bull can remain competitive. "We know where our strengths and weaknesses lie," he said. "In Monaco, we had a good car but made mistakes in qualifying. But we're confident we can fight for wins at any circuit."

Perez will have another chance to prove his worth this weekend as Formula 1 heads to Canada for the ninth round of the championship. But this street circuit is not one of those tracks on which a Mexican driver gets good results.

Regardless of what happens next weekend, Perez knows that he needs to reset his expectations and focus on his performance rather than his championship hopes. With Verstappen dominating so far this season.