JANUARY 22, 2026

Marko hits back after Perez slams Red Bull

Helmut Marko has pushed back against Sergio Perez after the Mexican driver publicly criticised Red Bull's internal culture ahead of his Formula 1 return with Cadillac.

Perez, who sat out 2025 and will rejoin the grid in 2026 with the new American team, spoke candidly on the Oso Trava podcast about his final seasons at Red Bull, describing an environment where everything was a problem.

If I was faster than Max, it was a problem, Perez said. If I was slower than Max, it was a problem. So everything was a problem. At some point, I realised there was nothing I could do about it.

Perez also claimed he became a distraction during Christian Horner's final year at the helm. Nobody talked about anything else but me - about my performance, about how badly I was doing, he said, adding that only someone who is mentally strong can survive something like that.

The remarks, on top of similar comments by the 35-year-old and his father Antonio Perez Garibay over the preceding months, drew a swift response from Marko on Austrian television.

It is somewhat surprising, said Helmut Marko on ORF. We should not forget that Sergio Perez did not even have a contract, he added, referring to Perez's previous situation at Racing Point. He was fired from the racing team he practically kept alive.

Marko acknowledged Perez's contribution, particularly during Red Bull's dominant period, but insisted the team gave him his biggest platform.

I don't know exactly how many Grands Prix he won, but especially in 2022 he was in the race for the world championship for a while, Marko said. That he eventually stopped performing had several reasons, but overall I think Checo made his career with us.

Perez, however, maintained that Red Bull's priorities were made clear from the outset.

When I first sat down with Christian, he said to me, 'This project is for Max', Perez recalled. We'll race with two cars because we have to, but this project was created for Max.

Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya, however, sided with Marko, suggesting Perez benefited significantly from his Red Bull years.

From the outside, Red Bull really gave Checo a very high status, Montoya said. Before, many people didn't value or appreciate his talent. After his victories and what he did at Red Bull - especially helping Max win the title in 2021 - it's a totally different image.

(GMM)