Red Bull has serious concerns about Perez’s poor results

The British Grand Prix was the third leg of the season in which Sergio Perez failed to score any points – extremely unsuccessful tactics saw the Mexican Red Bull Racing driver finish second-to-last.

Team manager Christian Horner called his performance last weekend “untenable” as Perez dropped out of contention in Saturday’s qualifying session after the first session. Sergio failed to keep the car on track in the very first laps, after which it got stuck in a gravel trap.

Red Bull Racing then decided to swap the engine to its RB20, with Perez starting from the pit lane on Sunday. However, as rain began to fall, the team decided to switch to intermediate tyres early on, but this proved to be a mistake and Sergio eventually finished 17th.

“Perez knows that if he doesn’t score points, it’s unsustainable,” Horner said. “This car has to score points too, and he understands that. Sergio knows what his role is, what tasks await him, and more than anyone else he wants to get back to his previous form.

We are very concerned about this because to win the Constructors’ Championship it is necessary that both cars finish in the top ten.

When he dropped out of the race in the first part of qualifying on Saturday, it was of course a shame. Sergio missed the first training because Isaac Hadjar was driving his car, but he did the second training quite normally. In qualifying, however, he had to show a result that would allow him to reach the top six…”

Horner also confirmed that the next phase of the season, which takes place in Hungary in two weeks’ time, will see Perez’s car fitted with an updated underbody – something that has already appeared on Max Verstappen’s RB20 at Silverstone.

It is understood that tests will be held at Silverstone next Thursday, with the RB20 car being driven by Red Bull reserve driver Liam Lawson. However, when asked if this had anything to do with Perez’s poor results, Horner replied: “Liam’s aero tests were scheduled a few months ago. Lawson is the team’s reserve driver and that’s his job.

Of course Sergio feels the pressure, which is normal for Formula 1. But if the driver doesn’t show good results, the pressure only increases and Perez understands that. Last weekend nothing worked for him…”