Helmut Marko has given a remarkably frank assessment of Red Bull driver Sergio Perez, saying the Mexican has finally "woken up" from his dream of becoming a Formula One champion.
Perez's horrid form since finishing second at the Miami Grand Prix in May has corresponded with teammate Max Verstappen's run of seven straight wins, allowing the Dutchman to open a 118-point lead.
The return of Daniel Ricciardo to AlphaTauri ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix increased speculation about whether Perez would see out his current Red Bull contract, which runs until the end of 2024.
Marko, perhaps the most outspoken personality in F1 and the head of Red Bull's driver programme, downplayed the possibility of Perez being replaced, saying he can now focus on improving his form now he knows he won't beat Verstappen to a championship.
"We have a contract with Perez until the end of 2024. He is second in the world championship. What need do we have to take action?" Marko told Motorsport-Total.
"He has now woken up from his world championship dream. Maybe that will help him to focus again on delivering the best possible performance."
According to Marko, Red Bull's only expectation from Perez is that he is a solid second behind Verstappen.
"Max is underestimated," Marko added. "He is an exceptional driver. Just looking at the mental capacities he still has. He even noticed on the radio when my mobile rang!
"He has such talent, such speed. And he's on cloud nine, no one would look good next to him. Verstappen is a completely different yardstick.
"That Perez has to be within three tenths [of a second] of Max is a generous interpretation on our part. Sometimes it was more.
"Perez is second in the world championship. More is not possible for him. He is fulfilling that at the moment."
Perez's struggles have largely been confined to qualifying sessions, which then have forced him into recovery drives in races.
Marko said qualifying has always been a weakness of Perez, even when Red Bull evaluated him alongside a young Ricciardo years before they made it to F1.
"He delivers very good races, he overtakes well. Only the mistakes in qualifying are there. That has always been his weakness.
"Even at our junior qualifying in Estoril [Portugal] years ago, Ricciardo and Perez were very young back then. We simulated qualifying runs and long runs.
"They were the fastest, but Perez wasn't there in qualifying."