Sergio Perez started the 2024 season on a perfect note for Red Bull. Although he failed to bother Max Verstappen for the race wins, he yet delivered regular podium results. However, that run came to an end ever since he signed an extension with the team. The poor form continued during the Spanish GP qualifying as well. Now, since he has delivered a lowly P8 in the race, Christian Horner knows what needs to change.
Qualifying on Saturday was a bittersweet moment for Perez. While he successfully landed himself in Q3 for a pleasant change, P8 was nowhere near what his teammate achieved.
Moreover, a three-place grid penalty saw him drop to P11 on the starting grid. The 2023 runner-up managed to make three places during the race and finished P8. That, as per Horner, is a satisfactory result but there is something Perez can do to improve. Horner, while speaking with Sky Sports F1, said,
“If I’m not wrong, we have scored the most points as a team, so as long as we keep doing that, the constructors’ continues to look healthy. Sergio had a great start to the year. We just need him to get back to that form that he had in the first four or five races. We know he can do it. It’s just getting him into the right headspace to deliver.”
Perez: McLaren are looking like the strongest team and we need to make sure we are back on top. The most important is to maximise the balance, which is the most important than bringing upgrades.
— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) June 23, 2024
After moving up the field to make three positions, Perez was nowhere near to challenging Oscar Piastri in P7. Verstappen, who had to extract the win from the skin of his teeth against Lando Norris, echoed a similar sentiment.
Max Verstappen forced to change his opinion of McLaren
Despite losing the pole position to Lando Norris on Saturday, Verstappen admitted he wasn’t too worried. While the calm approach after the race win grants legitimacy to his assessment, the Dutchman has taken a different outlook over the papaya rivals.
As Sky F1 quoted after the race, he said, “I am very happy. Getting the lead on lap two made my race. That is basically where we won. McLaren were faster today, which is a little bit concerning. That is not what you like to see.”
“I want more performance as we are not the quickest at the moment… but we operated well and maximized everything we had. You cannot rely on that all the time. To win races you have to be normally the outright fastest, which has been lacking,” he added.
Verstappen’s concerns are not unfounded, given the strides McLaren has taken in the upgrades race. Norris, taking full advantage of the progress, has surpassed Charles Leclerc in the drivers’ standings to take second place. McLaren, meanwhile, is just 33 points behind Ferrari in the constructors’ tally.
