Helmut Marko ‘less enthusiastic’ about Red Bull hiring ‘extraordinary’ driver to replace Sergio Perez

Follow us on Google Discover

Red Bull Racing face a very tough decision with their 2025 driver line-up despite having two racers under contract already for next year.

Max Verstappen is going nowhere despite the Red Bull star being linked with several other teams this year.

Mercedes and Aston Martin have both shown interest in Verstappen, but he appears set to stick with Red Bull on his way to potentially a fourth straight world championship.

Sergio Perez is in much more trouble despite being contracted until potentially the end of the 2026 campaign.

Ralf Schumacher has suggested Perez could leave Red Bull before the end of this year but the Mexican has been bullish that he’s going nowhere.

Red Bull have the luxury of having a junior team on the grid that provides them with two immediate options they can promote if they need to – Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson.

Lawson appears much more likely to replace Perez and has had a dramatic start to life back on the grid.

However, there’s also a wildcard in the discussions according to Formu1a.uno, although Helmut Marko isn’t that keen on them.

Williams driver Franco Colapinto still needs a seat on the grid for next year after bursting onto the scene after replacing Logan Sargeant.

The Argentinian has been fantastic but Marko isn’t quite sure he’s the right man to replace Perez next year.

Helmut Marko ‘less enthusiastic’ about Red Bull replacing Sergio Perez with Franco Colapinto

The report from Formu1a.uno says that the driver situation at Red Bull is ‘less clear’ going into 2025.

They currently have three contracted drivers for next season with Lawson expected to step in at one of their two teams, while F2 championship hopeful Isack Hadjar is waiting in the wings.

They believe that Christian Horner is keen to bring Colapinto in at Red Bull with his form impossible to ignore.

Colapinto would bring in significant sponsorship money from Argentina and has proved to be a huge star across the most recent triple-header in the Americas.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Williams driver Franco Colapinto with praise to stats

However, Marko is said to be ‘less enthusiastic’ about bringing in Colapinto.

He believes that bringing in another driver from outside their academy would compromise the work he and others do at Red Bull to develop their talent.

It could also create a further logjam with Hadjar and Arvid Lindblad both tipped to be future F1 drivers.

What Helmut Marko has previously said about Franco Colapinto

In a conversation with Formu1a.uno, Marko was asked about the Argentinian and said: “He is impressive.

“I spoke with him four years ago. He never was properly funded.

“And if you look at his F3 and F2, you wouldn’t expect what is doing.

“But there’s a lot of youngsters, good ones, and as far as I know he has a long-term contract with Williams.”

READ MORE: Who is Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko? Everything to know

Marko recently shared the moment he realised Colapinto was ‘extraordinary’ and while he may be worried about bringing in another driver who hasn’t been trained by his program, ultimately, they need the best four drivers they can get across their two teams.

It also speaks volumes about how Red Bull see Hadjar as despite the French youngster outperforming Colapinto when they raced in F2 together, doubts appear to remain about his immediate suitability to Formula 1.