After a winless run of four races, an out-of-form Red Bull team are in a tricky position in the constructors’ championship. McLaren are only 42 points behind the Milton Keynes outfit and Sky Sports commentator David Croft feels they can take the lead of the championship by the Azerbaijan GP.
Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Croft discussed McLaren’s state in the 2024 title battle with Matt Baker. The latter asked Croft about the possibility of the Woking outfit overtaking Red Bull at the upcoming Dutch GP itself.
On this, the 54-year-old commentator affirmed that it can happen, but said, “I think Red Bull will still lead it when we go away from Zandvoort. But, I rather get the feeling if not Monza, certainly by Baku that we are gonna see McLaren overhaul Red Bull in that constructors’ championship.”
Croft reasoned that McLaren are in good shape with both their drivers scoring a good chunk of points consistently. On the other hand, Red Bull has become completely dependent on Max Verstappen to produce the goods.
Sergio Perez’s form falling off a cliff after the Miami GP has been one of the primary factors holding them back. Since Miami, Perez has not scored a single podium or top-five finish and only scored 29 points.
Thus, McLaren have an advantage with a good run of podium finishes from both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. If the same trajectory continues for the upcoming few races, Croft’s prediction may come true. The Sky Sports commentator also stated that Perez needs to pull up his socks if Red Bull has to avoid falling back in this title fight.
Croft’s suggestion to Red Bull for Perez’s underperformance
Croft stated that he expected Red Bull to retain Perez amid the speculations of the Mexican’s ouster before the summer break. However, he also wondered if it was a good decision or not.
Looking back at Perez’s underwhelming performances, Croft said, “Red Bull need Sergio to step up. Now if he doesn’t step up, maybe there is an alternative in three or four races’ time.”
The 54-year-old mentioned that Red Bull could make a “tactical substitution” for the sake of the championship fight and bring in someone like Liam Lawson in Perez’s place. He said that such a decision still keeps Perez with the team, but they can ask the #11 driver to “sit this one out” if his form doesn’t improve in the upcoming few races.
