Horner explains Marko criticism: 'Then he went and told everyone'

After qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, Helmut Marko was critical of Sergio Perez's performance. The Mexican failed to finish beyond Q2, which led Marko to suggest the driver was already in holiday mode. Christian Horner believes there is more to the comment than meets the eye and was more of an inside joke than serious criticism.

Perez has struggled to find his rhythm since Red Bull Racing 's latest update package and has often failed to keep pace in recent races. This earned him renewed criticism from Marko after qualifying at the Hungaroring, who suggested the driver was too far behind Max Verstappen. He also suggested that Perez might already be thinking about the holiday.

Horner stands up for Perez

On that last comment, Horner provided an explanation to the Sky Sports microphone. "I made a joke to Helmut the other day, I said ‘I think Checo’s gone on holiday already’, and he went and told all you guys!" laughs the team boss. Marko is probably more satisfied with Perez's race as the Mexican was able to keep up with his teammate as he moved up through the field.

That is certainly the case for Horner. The Briton argues that a double podium might have been possible if the late virtual safety car had not come. Yet the team boss also sees room for improvement with Perez, but he thinks the summer break may help him do so. "I think a reset over the summer break, just to understand what’s not gone quite right for him at the last couple of races [is needed], he’ll come stronger from Spa onwards."