"He completely collapsed" - Sergio Perez slammed by Helmut Marko for Belgian GP performance

Helmut Marko slammed Sergio Perez's Belgian GP performance after the Red Bull driver failed to make amends on his P2 start, and went on to finish the race in P8. The Red Bull advisor was furious with the Mexican, as he did not hold back from criticizing the latter in front of the media.

Perez qualified in P3 on Saturday but iherited a P2 start on Sunday owing to Max Verstappen's 10-place grid penalty. However, he could only see rivals chase him down and leave him at P8 (but he inherited P7 because of George Russell's disqualification), last among the top eight drivers in the championship.

This was the Mexican driver's first front-row start since the Chinese Grand Prix back in April. However, Perez once again failed to capitalize on it and help himself and his team in the Championship.

"That is not what we expected from him. He completely collapsed, especially in the last stint," Marko told Servus TV.

The Red Bull veteran continued his criticism in Sky Sports F1 as well. He stated,

"Sergio had the opportunity to take a good result from second place. What looked so positive in qualifying, unfortunately, didn't materialize in the race."

Following an improved performance from Sergio Perez at Hungaroring, he seemingly disappointed Red Bull's top brass after he failed to add significant points to Red Bull's tally.

For the first time in three years, the Austrian team is at risk of losing their Constructors' Championship to McLaren after the Papayas' mega rise to the top. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have been firing on all cylinders to give them a much-needed impetus in the Championship.

However, Sergio Perez failed to do the same, as Max Verstappen has been the lone warrior for the Milton-Keynes-based team in the last few races. In a nutshell, Checo is in a vulnerable position following his back-to-back underwhelming performances as Formula 1 moves for the summer break.

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Sergio Perez can see his fate sealed on Monday

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez at F1 Grand Prix of Belgium - Source: Getty

Before Red Bull moves for the summer break, they are set to hold the annual pre-summer meeting with the team at Milton Keynes, their base in Great Britain. As revealed by Christian Horner, Red Bull is expected to discuss Sergio Perez's situation.

"Things are always constantly analyzed," Horner said. "We have a meeting on Monday but it's not just about Checo. There are other topics on the agenda as well, which we always do before the summer break."

Sergio Perez has been under constant scrutiny since Monaco. However, his two-year contract renewal served him fresh air, but now, he once again is in huge trouble as one can expect Red Bull to make a surprising call before the summer break.