Marko’s Perez U-turn following Ricciardo meeting: ‘Nothing 100% certain’
Perez is under contract with Red Bull for the 2024 season and both team principal Christian Horner and Marko had previously insisted that the Mexican will be retained alongside Max Verstappen next year.
But with Perez’s performances continuing to remain under intense scrutiny amid teammate Verstappen’s domination, Marko now says there is no guarantee that Perez will be driving for Red Bull next year.
“Nothing is 100 percent certain in Formula 1, it just doesn’t exist,” the Austrian told Kleine Zeitung.
“There are always performance-related situations somewhere that need to be discussed. We’ll take a look and discuss how to proceed in Zandvoort, then we’ll know more.”
Marko revealed he also held a meeting with Daniel Ricciardo in Graz over the summer.
The Australian returned to F1 as a mid-season replacement for the underperforming Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri and has already made his desire to drive for Red Bull again clear.
Ricciardo’s shock comeback has increased the pressure on Perez, who is 125 points behind Verstappen in the championship.
“We saw each other, that’s clear when he comes to Graz,” Marko added.
“He has a very positive personality, a successful career, and incredible experience. His momentum and vigour caused a real jolt at AlphaTauri. That was a real boost of motivation.”
