Red Bull’s RB20 has been falling behind the benchmark in terms of outright performance midway through the 2024 season. However, the Milton Keynes outfit is gearing up for an optimistic push for the championship in the final six races. Team principal Christian Horner recently said a lot of work was being done behind the scenes, and the team is set to bring some upgrades in Austin.
Horner urged his drivers to be at their best in the last push to retake the lead in the constructors’ championship.
McLaren reeled in the championship lead of Red Bull through the season and managed to take the top spot in Baku after Sergio Perez crashed out on the penultimate lap of the race. With six races remaining, McLaren has amassed a comfortable lead of 41 points over Red Bull.
Horner was clear as to what is expected of his drivers in the coming races while talking to As.com: “We need both drivers to be at their best, Checo had a great weekend in Baku (which ended with Sainz and the wall) and a tougher one in Singapore.”
In the constructors’ championship, McLaren is beginning to pull away – Horner says: “We need both drivers to be at their best, Checo had a great weekend in Baku (which ended with Sainz and the wall) and a tougher one in Singapore.”
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Horner was a tad diplomatic in urging both his drivers to sharpen up. However, it’s no secret that he was hinting at Perez because Max Verstappen is already doing everything he can to maximize the points for the team. Despite the RB20’s issues getting worse, the Dutchman won two races in Spain and Canada — his only two wins in the last 10 races.
Perez, on the other hand, hasn’t scored a single podium for 13 races since the Chinese GP. With Horner singling out the Mexican’s poor performance in Singapore, it is clear that Perez’ is treading on thin ice as far as his future at Red Bull is concerned.
Perez to fight for his seat in 2025
After the Belgian Grand Prix, it was rumored that Red Bull could replace Perez coming out of the summer break. However, Daniel Ricciardo — who was lined up to replace the Mexican — had not done enough to warrant a place in the senior team. RB eventually dropped the Aussie in favor of Liam Lawson after the Singapore GP.
Red Bull will reportedly monitor Lawson’s performance for the remainder of the season. He could end up getting the call from the senior team to replace Perez in 2025 if he meets the team’s expectations.
Perez, who has a contract for the next two seasons, clearly needs to be at his best if he is to save his seat.
