Marko: If the performance isn’t right, contracts are useless

Christian Horner has contradicted Sergio Perez’s claim that he didn’t benefit from the 2024 car’s new floor that debuted a week ago in Austin.

While teammate Max Verstappen took a clear step forward at the US GP with the updates, Perez - whose future at the team remains under a dark cloud - hinted that he didn’t similarly benefit.

"I had a hard time getting traction in the slow corners," said the Mexican.

"In general we didn’t have the consistency, and I think there is some delta in the floor between the cars as well, but I don’t know how big it is, because maybe we arrived at the weekend thinking it was much smaller than it actually was."

Team boss Horner, however, insisted: "Both cars had the developments."

34-year-old Perez keeps repeating his mantra that he will definitely still be at Red Bull next year, rejecting suggestions that he will announce his impending retirement this weekend at his home race.

But team advisor Dr Helmut Marko is making no secret of the fact that, at the junior team RB, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda are in a direct head-to-head to become Verstappen’s teammate next year.

"Perez may have a contract," the 81-year-old Austrian told f1-insider.com, "but Formula 1 is a performance-based society.

"If the performance isn’t right, contracts are useless. At the end of the season, we will sit down together and then decide who is the best teammate for Verstappen at Red Bull."

Marko admits that 22-year-old Lawson, placed into the ousted Daniel Ricciardo’s RB cockpit the remainder of the season, is currently on pole for the seat.

"After the race in Austin, Lawson is wearing the yellow jersey," he smiled.

Marko also told Osterreich newspaper: "We’ll watch him for a few more races and then we’ll evaluate him."

Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher also advises Red Bull to make a change.

"I don’t mean it personally, but I think Sergio Perez’s time is over," he said. "Red Bull should react.

"Liam Lawson has already shown what he is capable of in Austin. If he continues like this, there will be no getting around him."

As for Perez’s rumoured retirement announcement in Mexico this weekend, Marko admitted: "I am not aware of any thoughts of retirement in him.

"Nothing has been decided yet."