The last thing Red Bull driver Sergio Perez needed heading into the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was another difficult qualifying session.
The Mexican’s 2023 campaign was littered with poor performances on Saturdays that saw him having to make up ground during the race and that will be the case again in Imola.
Speaking on the Formel1.de YouTube channel, Red Bull chief Helmut Marko was talking about one driver who has been under consideration to potentially replace Sergio Perez.
There’s been speculation that Max Verstappen could leave Red Bull, with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff desperate to sign him.
However, at this stage, the most likely is that Verstappen stays with the team until at least the end of 2025.
Perez’s future is much less certain, but Marko has now said that the idea of pairing Verstappen and Fernando Alonso together is ‘very difficult’.
The Spaniard is still one of the fastest drivers on the grid but has never been the easiest teammate to deal with when he’s alongside another world-class racer.
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Helmut Marko admits Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso would be ‘difficult’ for Red Bull
The 2025 Formula 1 grid is slowly starting to take shape, with Alex Albon the latest driver to confirm his plans for next season after signing a new deal with Williams.
Albon was linked with joining Red Bull especially as Sergio Perez has entered the final year of his contract.
The Mexican was warned by Christian Horner at the end of 2023 that he needed to improve his performance in qualifying.
Just like last year, he started the campaign very strongly, but those performances have dropped off slightly at the same time as last year.
He will start in 11 in Imola with teammate Max Verstappen on pole, however, Alonso had a much tougher time which may have allayed Marko’s fears for this specific race.
The Austrian admits he would be worried about how the two would deal with racing each other, but considering Alonso will start the race in Emilia Romagna from the back row, that wouldn’t be a problem this weekend.
Don’t bet against Alonso somehow finding himself ahead of teammate Lance Stroll and potentially in the points by the end of the Grand Prix.
The £275,000-a-week driver has spent the entirety of 2024 exceeding expectations and it’s one of the reasons why Aston Martin have already signed him up to a new contract for the next two years and potentially beyond.
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Fernando Alonso has a difficult task ahead of him in Imola
Talking about the potential of pairing Alonso and Verstappen together, Marko said: “As I mentioned before, a harmonious working environment is very important for Max [Verstappen].
“And I believe that with [Fernando] Alonso, that probably wouldn’t have been quite the case.
“These two [drivers] are two opposites, both very big in terms of driving and also their personalities.
“But when it comes down to the nitty-gritty of who is faster, then both of them are not squeamish and it would be very, very difficult for a team to turn it into a positive.”
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It would be brilliant to watch Alonso and Verstappen race in the same car, but as Marko says, it’s hard to ever see this happening especially as Alonso has committed his future to Aston Martin until at least his 45 birthday.
All eyes are going to be on Sergio Perez on Sunday after his difficult qualifying performance.
Red Bull are in no rush to offer him a new contract and that will encourage soon-to-be free agent Carlos Sainz.
The Spaniard starts three rows ahead of Perez and will want to show Red Bull that a potentially stronger teammate for Verstappen is available on the grid.
The post ‘Two opposites’: Helmut Marko admits £275k-a-week driver wouldn’t work as Max Verstappen’s teammate appeared first on F1 Oversteer.