Red Bull boss Christian Horner has admitted that it needs Sergio Perez to be at the sharp end more often amid the rising threat to the team from its Formula 1 rivals.
Perez entered the season under pressure amid a wretched slump last term that saw him miss Q3 eight times and end 290 points behind team-mate Max Verstappen.
However, the Mexican had sustained a positive start to the campaign as Red Bull’s dominance continued, claiming second-place finishes in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
But he’s been unable to maintain that momentum as the grid has converged, trailing home eighth at Imola and then sustaining a disastrous Q1 elimination in Monaco.
Perez retiring from an opening-lap collision with Kevin Magnussen and Max Verstappen struggling to sixth has seen Red Bull’s advantage over Ferrari cut to 24 points.
With Ferrari and McLaren having won races over the last month, Horner has urged Perez to ensure he rebounds from his latest setback to boost Red Bull’s title hopes.
Regarding Perez’s troubled weekend in Monte Carlo, Horner said: “This weekend’s been pretty brutal for him.
“Yeah, we need to make sure that we have got both cars up there scoring points, because we cannot dismiss the threat of Ferrari and McLaren in both championships.”
Horner had contended that he was unconcerned with Perez’s showing the previous weekend and denied that it would spiral into a repeat of his drop in form last term.
Asked what Red Bull can do to help Perez recapture his best level amid another poor outing in Monaco, Horner replied: “Checo’s first six races, he was very strong.
“He was qualifying on the front row and finishing second and third and scoring very well. We just need to get him back into that position of confidence and not to see a dip.”
Pressed on whether it would postpone Red Bull’s intended timing on deciding upon Perez’s future going into 2025, Horner retorted: “Not really.
“I think that it’s more on our timing. We’ll make a decision in the fullness of time.”
Meanwhile, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko revealed that Perez is the leading candidate to partner Verstappen next season and an announcement could come next month.
“I think by Barcelona we should have a clear picture,” he told Motorsport.com. “I would say we should have a clear idea ourselves by then.”
Asked whether Perez was in pole position to get the drive, Marko answered: “He is in a good position. I wouldn’t say pole-position, but he is in a good position.”
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