Red Bull's Helmut Marko targets older F1 drivers 'who stagnate and are a bit better or worse depending on their mood'

Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko claimed that older F1 drivers prevent the entry of younger talents into the sport. Although he did not point to any names, he mentioned that old drivers "block" the way for newer talent to make it into the sport.

Helmut Marko has always been promoting younger drivers in Formula 1. In his recent column in "Speedweek", he appreciated Oliver Bearman. Currently racing in Formula 2, Bearman had the chance to make his F1 debut with Ferrari this season in Saudi Arabia, replacing Carlos Sainz. Not only was he competitive with other drivers, he managed to finish in points. Haas has given him the opportunity to drive for them in the next season.

Mentioning his example, Marko wrote that he was present in the right place at the right time.

"With Oliver Bearman, he was in the right place at the right time and will move up to Formula 1 next year. His race in the Ferrari [in Saudi Arabia], has shown him his F1 future, but if you were to look at his Formula 2 results, things would look a lot worse for him. But it's good that young people are coming into Formula 1, I'm absolutely in favour of that," Marko wrote (via RacingNews365).

Extending his support for younger drivers in F1, the Red Bull advisor felt that some of the more experienced drivers have made it difficult for the newer generation to step foot into the sport, "stagnating" their chances.

"I can't name any names, but there are drivers in the field who stagnate and are a bit better or worse depending on their mood. They block the way for the young drivers. The teams are also afraid of juniors. Of course, they make mistakes, but I'd rather someone makes mistakes and is a hope for the future than there is no more improvement," he added.

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Red Bull team principal clarifies Liam Lawson's test run amidst Sergio Perez's contract speculations

Sergio Perez was given a two-year contract extension earlier this season with Red Bull. However, his performance has seemingly worsened. With the RB20 seemingly not being the fastest car on the track anymore, it has been a struggle for him to score points.

He crashed out in Monaco and Canada. Earlier at Silverstone, he finished P17 after a crash during qualifying. Meanwhile, his teammate Max Verstappen finished P2.

Red Bull is known to be a team that does not hesitate before canceling their driver's contracts, and with his performance, Checo's future seems to be uncertain. Amidst this, Liam Lawson, RBR's junior and reserve driver, was behind the wheel of the car for a test run.

This raised speculation that the team might be looking for options other than Perez, but team principal Christian Horner clarified that the testing was planned. He said (via PlanetF1):

"Those tests have been planned for some time so they’re not something that have just sprung up, they’ve been planned for a couple of months now. Liam is our test and reserve driver, that’s his job," " Horner told Sky Sports F1.

While the situation at Red Bull seems questionable, it is tough to say currently if Sergio Perez will be allowed to continue with the team in the future. It would simply be dependent on his performance.