Sergio Perez is finally showing signs of improvement after a dismal few weeks at Red Bull. With the recently concluded Belgian GP qualification, Perez had two back-to-back Q3 appearances, something he didn’t have in the last five races preceding Hungary. The constant spree of underwhelming performances with the RB-19, especially in qualifying seems to have upset Christian Horner, as he was found having a private chat with the Mexican driver following the conclusion of Q3 at Spa.
At the Hungarian GP last weekend, Perez spun out of the track and hit the barrier. Similarly, he also crashed heavily earlier this season in Monaco. These crashes not only led to immense expenses for the team for the repair but also revealed important information to rivals when the car was lifted on a crane. These situations frustrated Horner, who hasn’t been facing similar problems from Verstappen’s side of the garage.
Good feeling to start on the front row again!
What a great team effort. Let’s go for more!¡Que bien se siente volver a primera fila!
Gran esfuerzo del equipo. ¡Vamos por más!#SP11 #BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/e2bgIKem7K— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) July 28, 2023
After Nyck de Vries’ sacking earlier this month and Daniel Ricciardo’s return to F1, the pressure seems to be on Perez. Even though Horner and Helmut Marko keep insisting that he is safe, if Perez doesn’t perform consistently, he could be on his way out. Those thoughts, however, can be put to rest for the time being.
Sergio Perez’s performance put him on a positive trajectory
After relatively better performance in Hungary and now in Spa, Perez seems to have made his bosses happy. Given how the Guadalajara-born driver joked with the team principal, it was enough to suggest that things are alright behind the scenes.
The 33-year-old qualified in P9 at Hungary, but made a fantastic recovery drive to finish P3 in the end. Now, he claimed P3 in Friday’s qualification ahead of the Belgian GP but will start from the front row as pole-sitter Max Verstappen faces a five-place grid penalty.
Even though Perez was supposedly under a lot of pressure, the light-hearted conversation with Horner will give him some momentary relief. Following the conclusion of Q3, Horner congratulated Perez on the team radio for his brilliant qualification.
Replying to his team principal, the Red Bull driver said according to a video on Imgur, “And you will talk to me now. Great job.” The British boss, in return for this, said, “I will talk to you. I said the top five mate.”
It is uncertain what discussion they are going to have. However, it could very well be related to Perez’s future at the Milton-Keynes-based team. They discussed this jokingly post-qualifying. But the entire mood of this conversation could have turned serious, had Perez faltered once again.
Hungaroring set Sergio Perez on a positive course
After five back-to-back disastrous qualifying sessions, the Hungarian GP saw Sergio Perez have a decent outing in qualification which he converted into a podium. Frustratingly for Perez, at Spa-Francorchamps, he missed out on the pole by less than a hundredth of a second over Charles Leclerc of Ferrari.
Despite having an unusual and rain-hit qualification with no proper practice sessions, Perez put on some very impressive lap times. Even though he was miles away from his teammate Max Verstappen, Perez still can be happy for his effort in Belgium.
Verstappen was mighty in his last flying lap. He set fastest times in all three sectors, and finished more than eight tenths of a second ahead of second placed Leclerc. Perez knows that to keep his place at Red Bull, he has to improve significantly.
