Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko believes only Fernando Alonso “could get close” to Max Verstappen in equal machinery in Formula 1.
Verstappen secured his third consecutive World Championship on Saturday in Qatar before leading every lap of Sunday’s grand prix to claim his 14th victory this season.
However, team-mate Sergio Perez endured another torrid outing, exiting Q2 for the eighth time this year in qualifying on Friday before picking up three time penalties for exceeding track limits on his way to 10th.
In between, the Mexican’s Sprint Race ended in the gravel after getting caught up in a three-car tangle with Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Ocon, sealing Verstappen’s title.
After winning two of the first four races, Perez has experienced a tumultuous year, prompting repeated speculation over his future with Red Bull beyond this season.
But Marko insists that Red Bull still intends to honour the contract it already has with Perez to race for the team next year.
“I repeat myself, Perez has a contract and we want to respect it. We are doing everything we can to get him back to normal,” Marko told German broadcaster Sport1.
However, the 80-year-old admits that Red Bull is short of potential options to replace Perez, despite highlighting in Qatar that AlphaTauri possesses “three drivers”.
“We simply don’t have alternatives [to Perez]. Otherwise, you might have a problem,” Marko added.
Marko believes that only Alonso would be capable of retaining pace with Verstappen at Red Bull among the current F1 crop.
Alonso has not been in championship contention in F1 since coming up short with Ferrari in 2012, but the Spaniard, now 42, continues to thrive in the top flight.
The two-time title winner has excelled since his switch to Aston Martin, registering seven podiums and comprehensively outclassing struggling team-mate Lance Stroll.
“At the moment, I only see one person who could get close to Max and that is Fernando Alonso.”
Perez’s solitary point in Qatar means he has only accumulated five points across the past five race weekends, enabling Lewis Hamilton to close to within 30 points in the standings.
With both titles already sewn up, Red Bull has repeatedly asserted it wants Perez to retain second place to lock out the top two spots for the first time in the side’s history.
However, Marko has downplayed the possibility of Verstappen aiding his team-mate’s pursuit over the remaining rounds.
“No. Max will not help him [Perez],” the Austrian concluded.
