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The pressure is on for Sergio Perez at this weekend’s Hungarian GP following Daniel Ricciardo’s return to the F1 grid.
Though he sits second in the championship, Perez’s performance since crashing during qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix has begun to raise eyebrows.
At the British Grand Prix two weeks ago, he qualified only 15th, the latest in a string of disappointing Saturday performances.
“The pressure has now got to be on Sergio, doesn’t it?” asked Speedcafe F1 editor Mat Coch on the latest episode of the Pit Talk podcast.
“Look a little bit further down the pit lane and the AlphaTauri garage has a big smile coming out of it; [Perez] is under pressure.
“Every weekend he goes racing now, he has one less opportunity [to show his worth], so he has to take every one of them between now and the end of the season and basically show Christian Horner and Helmut Marko that ‘no, I’m your man’ – give them no excuse to look at Daniel.
“The only reason they’re looking at Daniel now is because he’s giving them that opportunity.”
Saturday form has been Perez’s weak point.
Though he’s been able to race his way forward by starting down the order he has been left with too much to do come race day.
Since finishing second in Miami to Verstappen, Perez has stood on the podium just once (excluding F1 Sprints), at the Austrian Grand Prix after charging back from 15th on the grid.
“This is not a track for poor qualifying either,” added Michael Lamonato.
“Overtaking is not always easy in Budapest, at the Hungaroring, and just to ramp up the challenge, I’ve checked the forecast; at the moment, rain on Friday and Saturday.
“But it’s all in his court,” he added.
“It isn’t a high-speed circuit either, which does sort of play against his disadvantages if you like – it seems to be when he’s trying to mimic Max [Verstappen]’s ability to balance the car at high speed that he struggles most.
“So this might be a good circuit to reset on.”
