Sergio Perez’s 2024 F1 future was in doubt for a long time until the Azerbaijan GP. The Mexican performed exceptionally well in Baku which helped him secure his seat for the remainder of the season. Still, Christian Horner has asked Perez to step up after a poor Singapore GP result.
The Red Bull team principal lately revealed that the team has tracked the RB20’s issues back to the 2023 Barcelona underfloor upgrades. Perez suggested having issues with the car back then. Yet, the team chose to ignore his feedback and is now suffering. Regardless, the Milton Keynes team continues to ask the Mexican to push for a result in a car that isn’t optimal.
According to Formule1.nl, Horner has asked Perez to improve his performance as Red Bull wants to take the lead back in the constructors’ championship. He said, “We need two drivers who are firing on all cylinders. Perez had a good weekend last week. This weekend, unfortunately, was a bit tougher.”
“We’re really going to have to perform now, like McLaren does – they’ve got two drivers on the podium. Those are the big points that make the difference. Obviously, we have to make sure Checo [Sergio Perez] improves a lot.”, he added.
: Christian Horner urges Sergio Perez to step up his performance after a tough Singapore GP, where Perez struggled to move beyond 10th place. Horner emphasized the need for both drivers “firing on all cylinders” as McLaren tightens the Constructors’ Championship race. Perez,… pic.twitter.com/JrsdiRMq4l
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Perez had a sub-par weekend at the Singapore GP. The Mexican was eliminated in Q2 and started the race in P13. He got a good start but was stuck behind the Williams of Franco Colapinto for the first stint. As a result, Perez made an early pitstop to undercut Williams and struggled for the remainder of the race on old hard tires to eventually finish P10.
Perez’s pace in Baku wasn’t a true indication of RB20’s performance. Azerbaijan is among the #11 driver’s favorite tracks, and he managed to out-qualify his teammate in qualifying for the first time in 2024. Meanwhile, Verstappen was competing outside the top five before the penultimate lap crash.
Red Bull are currently 41 points behind McLaren in the championship. Since June, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have consistently finished on the podium whereas the Red Bull drivers have struggled. Verstappen is still managing to get the best out of the car, and Horner expects the same from Perez.
