Tell us you’re coming for Sergio Perez without telling us you’re coming for Sergio Perez. “The fairytale ending would be to finish my career at Red Bull,” said Daniel Ricciardo. After leaving Red Bull in 2019 on his own accord, the Aussie is back in the family. But seeing out his career in AlphaTauri isn’t what he wants. What he wants is Perez’s seat. Good thing for him, he may have just increased his chances of getting his fairytale ending after qualifying at the Mexican GP.

Since Ricciardo made his F1 return—and Perez’s form started faltering—the Aussie has become one of the leading candidates to replace the Mexican. Although Red Bull has asserted that Perez’s seat is safe in 2024, no one can be too sure. And Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko hasn’t made Perez feel any safer. Now, Marko piled on Perez’s wounds by praising Ricciardo.

For Helmut Marko, Daniel Ricciardo > Sergio Perez

When Ricciardo was at Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen, the two made one of the best driver pairings on the grid. Needless to say, Marko was a big fan of them, especially considering how much he likes consistent performances. Speaking of consistent performances, Marko doesn’t think Perez is doing that (case in point: his xenophobic comments against Perez). Although Christian Horner has reassured Perez’s safety multiple times, the second Red Bull seat is as good as empty for Marko. The thing is, Perez didn’t help his case a the Mexican GP.

The home hero has had a pretty smooth weekend so far, without any major incidents. Despite the mounting pressure on him, Perez has managed to impress his home support. Unfortunately for him, Marko was more impressed by Ricciardo. Driving the AT04—one of the slowest cars on the grid this season—Ricciardo managed a stellar P4 in qualifying. Not to mention that this is just his fourth race weekend of the season. 

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Considering how good AlphaTauri and Ricciardo’s pace looked leading up to qualifying, it wasn’t a surprise that he made it to Q3 and delivered. What was surprising was that he out-qualified Perez in a Red Bull—the fastest car on the grid—who’ll line up in P5 for his home race. After Perez failed to beat the threat for his Red Bull seat, Marko made it worse by praising Ricciardo. He told Motorsport-total, “The surprise is Ricciardo. Very positive for us.”

Amid Helmut Marko’s Scathing Criticism, Sergio Perez Nudged to Answer 1 Bitter Question Over Survival

Tell us you want Daniel Ricciardo in Red Bull without telling us you want Daniel Ricciardo in Red Bull. That’s basically what Marko’s statement will be analyzed as. As much as he may want Ricciardo back in Red Bull, he has a duty to Perez, one that he isn’t fulfilling.

Marko is making life tougher than it already is for Perez

Being a Red Bull driver, not to mention alongside Verstappen, comes with added pressure. For a team that’s become notorious for mid-season swaps, delivering week after week is a basic expectation. That’s something Perez hasn’t been doing, and instead of supporting him through this tough phase, Marko has indirectly reiterated that Perez isn’t safe. After the xenophobic comments he made about Perez, the Mexican even revealed he’s been working with a mental coach to navigate through Red Bull’s pressures.

Lewis Hamilton addressed this in an interview recently. “As I driver I understand the psychological and the mental pressure weighs so heavily on you. It’s hard to explain to put into words,” he said.  “I don’t think his team has been massively supportive of him. I wouldn’t say ‘the team’ because there are a lot of people within the team, but one particular spokesperson has not been great in helping psychologically. So, difficult environment for him.”

WATCH THIS STORY | Will Daniel Ricciardo Get Swapped in for Sergio Perez at Red Bull?

What’s your take on how Helmut Marko has been treating Sergio Perez?