Mexico City /
Faced with the controversy that arose after an image of Sergio Perez with the head of Red Bull, Helmut Marko of the team has come out to issue an explanation, especially because the image seemed to have been taken before the arrival of the Mexican driver and confirmed to many that Checo Perez already had an agreement.
The Red Bull team informed Checo Pérez on December 18 that it would be its new driver to replace Alex Albon. Just after the end of the season in Abu Dhabi and shortly after the information became official.
The image that sparked the controversy was published by Cristian Horner, head of Red Bull, who took the photo along with Checo Pérez and adviser Helmut Marko. However, several details made it appear that the image had been taken in Abu Dhabi by Checo Pérez’s clothes.
“A photo has nothing to do with signing a contract,” Marko explained on the Motorsport.com site. “It was a social gathering and at that time nothing was one hundred percent final. We took the photo in case it became final. Today signatures can be made electronically. “
He added that he did not remember the time of the photo, whether it was Sunday night when the season ended or Monday morning when the change was already official. “I honestly don’t remember exactly. It was a hectic weekend”.