Pink Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has rubbished studies that Liberty Media intervened and urged Pink Bull Racing to retain Sergio Perez for business causes.
The Mexican driver’s future in F1 was in jeopardy forward of the game’s summer season break, with Pink Bull mulling changing the 34-year-old F1 veteran attributable to his lack of efficiency and outcomes.
Perez is at present a whopping 146 factors behind his Pink Bull teammate and championship chief Max Verstappen, a big deficit that’s weighing on the Milton Keynes-based outfit’s battle in F1’s Constructors’ standings.
Though Pink Bull nonetheless leads the groups’ championship, its benefit over second-placed outfit McLaren has fallen to 78 factors.
Following Pink Bull’s choice after the Belgian Grand Prix to maintain its line-up unchanged, even regardless of one other disappointing race by Perez at Spa-Francorchamps, it was reported that F1 chief govt Stefano Domenicali had known as on Pink Bull to retain Perez with a purpose to shield ticket gross sales for subsequent October’s Mexican Grand Prix.
However Marko rapidly shot down the studies.
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“Stories that his continued dedication is because of Liberty Media’s need for him to race in Mexico aren’t true,” mentioned Marko, writing in his common column for Speedweek.
“They actually need him to race in his residence race, however our alternative of driver will not be primarily based on Liberty Media’s intentions.”
Though Marko acknowledged Perez’s efficiency shortfall and inconsistencies, the Austrian believes the beleaguered driver stays Pink Bull’s best choice for the second half of F1’s present season.
“Sergio will proceed to drive the Pink Bull Racing automotive after the summer season break, as there at the moment are races on tracks the place he was good final yr and we’re relying on stability,” he mentioned.
“He has additionally proven good performances now and again, and on the final race weekend in Spa, he was very quick on Saturday [in qualifying], ending third.
“He was allowed to begin from place two, and in response to the calculations, third place would have been potential.
“However we noticed that his tyres had deteriorated considerably extra. He could not push, and on high of that, we solely had two units of medium tyres and one set of the exhausting compound, whereas the competitors had two units of exhausting and one set of medium tyres. That was maybe a decisive level.
“Pérez would not have to get quicker, simply extra constant. And given the options, he’s nonetheless our greatest resolution.”
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