Sergio Perez's much-needed strong weekend at his home race in Mexico turned into a nightmare, intensifying the swirling rumors about his future at Red Bull.
"He didn't have a good weekend," Red Bull's team advisor Dr. Helmut Marko said. "The future is uncertain."
Perez even found himself in a heated on-track clash with Red Bull's rising star, Liam Lawson, who currently races for the sister team RB and is seen as the top contender to replace Perez next year.
During their scuffle, Lawson, 22, flipped Perez the middle finger after contact on the track. "Checo was also very angry with Lawson, so I think we need to sit down calmly and discuss this," Marko said.
"We know that Lawson is a hard racer, but he should not do this towards his teammates, but towards drivers from other teams. There should be more respect," Marko added.
Perez was clearly frustrated by the incident, warning Lawson to tread carefully as he steps fully into the Formula 1 world. Perez noted that he has "no relationship" with Lawson and doesn't plan on speaking with him about it.
"I think the way he has come to Formula 1 shows that he doesn't have the right attitude for it," Perez said. "He needs to be a bit more humble."
Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher suggested that Perez take a step back and relax.
"Take a tequila shot or two and get a good night's sleep," Schumacher joked. "What we see is a typical sign of someone who is totally unsettled and doesn't know what to do anymore."
Despite the escalating tension, Perez's father, Antonio, remains unworried about his son's future, although his remarks about Marko may have been sarcastic.
"Dr. Marko is the very best boss," Perez senior said to Sky Deutschland. "If Checo adopts Dr. Marko's positive mentality, he can become world champion."
Antonio Perez Garibay continued: "For me, Checo is a future world champion because he will be racing in Formula 1 for at least another ten years."
When informed of Perez senior's comments, 81-year-old Marko responded with a smile: "I appreciate his optimism."
Regarding Perez's performance, Marko added: "He complained on the radio about his brake problems. At least that's what I heard. We have to see what exactly was going on, but unfortunately, the recovery that we all expected from Checo did not happen."
Marko also expressed disappointment in Yuki Tsunoda, Lawson's teammate at RB. "Tsunoda is still too unstable," he said. "Yuki already had a spin in Austin and now he is crashing the car. We thought he was a bit more stable now, but apparently, you can tell that the pressure is coming from Lawson."
"It's amazing how everything can change in seven days," Marko concluded.
