Christian Horner Advises Sergio Perez to Solve His ‘Achilles’ Heel’ After the Latter Records Massive Deficit Against His Teammate

With the Dutch GP qualification behind us, Sergio Perez registered yet another disappointing result. With a time of 1:11.880 in Q3, the Mexican driver qualified P7 as opposed to his teammate, who took the pole position with a time of 1:10.567. Speaking to F1 TV after the qualifying session, Christian Horner advised his driver to work on his Achilles’ heel to help Red Bull optimize their results.

Throughout the 2023 season, Perez’s main struggle has been his performances during the qualifying sessions. His poor form during the sessions has often seen him stranded at the back of the starting grid during the feature race sessions. Thus, the Mexican driver, who started the season on a promising note, now sees himself entirely out of the championship picture, with Horner calling on him to improve his qualifying-round driving.

Christian Horner advises Sergio Perez to work on his Achilles’ heel

After Saturday’s qualifying session in Zandvoort, Horner took some time out to chat with F1 TV and discuss Perez’s weaknesses whilst also pointing out his strengths come race day. With a 40-point lead over 3rd placed Hamilton, two race wins, and a further four second-place finishes, Perez has earned key points for Red Bull. However, Horner says there is just one aspect where Checo has to work hard.

“He’s bringing in the points, he just needs to get more out of the Saturdays, which has been his Achilles’ heel.”

Although Perez has had consistently poor performances on Saturdays, he made up for them on Sundays. The Guadalajara-born driver leads the stats for most overtakes this season, and Horner expects him to continue his run while also potentially achieving a podium finish.

Horner is confident Perez will be good on Sunday

With the qualifying in Zandvoort complete, Perez will start Sunday’s race from P7, but Horner asserts the 33-year-old will be able to overtake his way to a podium place by the time the race ends. However, the Red Bull top dog also mentioned he could be wrong if the race conditions weren’t as dry as they hoped.

 

Sergio Perez qualified 1.3 seconds behind his teammate Max Verstappen…#F1 #DutchGP pic.twitter.com/t5UY9cUJMj

— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) August 26, 2023

The 49-year-old will be cautious when his driver’s lineup at the grid on Sunday. Given there is no certainty as to how the weather will be during the race, Horner believes “anything is possible,” hinting at a potential surprise finish should conditions be wetter than expected.