Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is convinced that with an arm around his shoulder, Sergio Perez will bounce back at next weekend’s F1 Hungarian Grand Prix.
From being a title challenger to team-mate Max Verstappen over the first five races, Perez has fallen to 99 points adrift of the Dutchman who is firmly on course to secure a third successive drivers’ title at some stage this year.
The Mexican’s demise can be traced back to the Miami Grand Prix in which he started on pole compared to Verstappen’s ninth on the grid but ended up finishing second behind him after being overtaken in the closing stages.
A crash in qualifying for the next race in Monaco has sparked a run of five consecutive grands prix in which Perez has failed to reach Q3, whilst in stark contrast, Verstappen has secured pole and gone on to win each event.
Asked as to his concern over Perez’s qualifying run, Horner replied: “He just needs to break it now. I’m confident he’ll do it in Budapest.
“The way he races, some of his moves in the (last) race (the British Grand Prix), the one in particular on Carlos Sainz into Stowe, was quite stunning, and his pace in the last stint was right there.
“It’s frustrating for him that he’s having to fight back all the time, but he’s just got to sort his qualifying out on Saturday, and as a team, we’ll do our best to support him on that.”
Horner suggested that as with any sport, what Perez is going through at the moment is “90 percent in the head”, and that he “just needs a good run and he’ll find his momentum again”.
Perez has suggested he has now become more sensitive to his car.
“He’s the type of guy that just needs an arm around his shoulder,” added Horner. “You work with him, and that’s what we’re doing. We’re supporting him.
“We know he can do it, we know he will get back there. We’re just trying to make sure it happens as quickly as possible.
“At the moment, he’s still running second in the championship, and I think he’s extended his lead over Fernando (Alonso, in third, to 19 points).
“We’ve got a good car but we need to make sure that we’ve got both cars in contention.”
There is understandably a slight degree of frustration that with a car that is the class act of the field, Red Bull is not maximising its performance and scoring one-twos every race.
“You’re always looking for perfection in this business, and you’re always looking for where you can be better,” said Horner.
“Of course, we’re always saying, ‘Okay, where can we be better?’ In this instance, it’s ‘Okay, where can we help Checo to achieve what he’s doing on Sundays on a Saturday’?”
Discussion about this post