Red Bull cannot sustain the recent downturn in Sergio Perez's performance levels, insists team consultant Dr. Helmut Marko.
As the dominance Red Bull enjoyed since the introduction of the 2022-2025 ground effect regulations begins to wane, the challenges continued last weekend in Barcelona.
Marko revealed to Speed Week that McLaren now has "the faster car" on the track.
"However, Max (Verstappen) drives practically error-free, which Lando (Norris) can't do yet, thank God," the 81-year-old Austrian stated. "But he remains our main competitor."
"So I hope that Mercedes will get stronger and be the second strongest force for a while, which would certainly help us with a view to the world championship," he added.
Following the recent extension of Mexican Perez's contract, aimed at stabilizing Red Bull amid a turbulent season, Marko acknowledged that the move "didn't work."
"Checo started much further back than he finished," he noted, referring to the last weekend's Spanish GP, "but now that the field is coming together like this, we can't afford any weaknesses."
Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher insists a significant problem for Red Bull is that "Verstappen has no one who can help him," unlike other top teams.
Post-Barcelona, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff observed that it is Verstappen who wins the grands prix, not Mercedes, a sentiment with which Marko concurs.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown also commented: "Perez has to step up if they want to remain competitive, because Max tries to win every race while Sergio only tries to get points. That gives us the opportunity to get a little closer," Brown stated.
Marko agreed: "Exactly. Max can't drive at the limit like this for an entire season. The overtaking maneuver that put him in the lead was already extraordinary even for him."
Bild newspaper remarked after the Spanish GP that Verstappen is "faster than his own car."
"That sums it up well," said Marko. "Max wins because he is so confident, not because the car is so good."
With the upcoming Austrian GP hosted at the Red Bull Ring, including a sprint race, Marko noted: "We also have a sprint race again, so if we don't do well on Friday, that could go wrong."
