Helmut Marko has praised Sergio Perez for "surviving" more than two years as Max Verstappen's teammate at Red Bull. Perez is now in his third season at the Milton Keynes-based outfit, surpassing the length of time that his predecessors – Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon – spent at the squad. While the Mexican has been unable to match the success of Verstappen, Marko is impressed with how Perez has performed. "Sergio has survived two years alongside Max without being broken like most drivers. That is a great achievement," Marko told German publication Sport.de . While Marko believes that Perez has had to acknowledge that Verstappen "has no weaknesses", he has also hailed the 33-year-old for "not giving up".
Team orders at Red Bull?
While Perez has finished behind Verstappen in both of their seasons as teammates, Marko had dismissed the idea that he will always have to give way to the Dutchman. "Overall, the goal is that we want to win first and second place in the World Championship," Marko commented. "From our point of view, it is not predetermined that that is Max." Perez's contract with Red Bull expires at the end of 2024, but Marko will not yet be drawn on the driver's future beyond that point. "We have to see how everything goes," the Austrian said. "Such talks and considerations usually start before or after the summer break."
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