Christian Horner, Sergio Perez, and Helmut Marko engage in a conversation within the confines of the Red Bull garage located in Montreal.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has challenged Sergio Perez to “come back strong” at the Spanish Grand Prix after marking his new contract with a “horrible weekend” in Canada.
Red Bull announced ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix that Perez will remain with the team until the end of the F1 2026 season, having signed a new two-year contract.
Christian Horner reacts to Sergio Perez’s disastrous Canadian GP weekend
Despite his recent poor performance, including early exits in qualifying at Emilia Romagna and Monaco, Perez’s retention was still decided. The Mexican driver acknowledged the need to regroup after a strong start to the F1 2024 season.
In Montreal, the 34-year-old’s season took a drastic turn for the worse. He suffered another disappointing performance in Q1 for the second consecutive race, and ultimately had to retire due to a damaged rear wing. This damage occurred after he spun into the wall on a track that was in the process of drying.
Perez’s already miserable situation worsened when he received news that he would face a three-place grid penalty in the upcoming race in Spain. This penalty was imposed due to his decision to drive back to the pits despite having severe damage. Additionally, Red Bull was fined €25,000 as a consequence of this incident.
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According to Horner, Red Bull was fortunate to have been “spared” by Ferrari’s disastrous showing in Canada, enabling them to regain their dominance in the F1 2024 championship battle.
He emphasized the importance of Perez backing Verstappen amidst increasing competition from teams like Ferrari and McLaren. The latter has only contributed four points to Red Bull’s overall score in the past three races.
In an interview with Sky F1, he expressed, “Checo had a dreadful weekend, and it’s evident that he sustained some damage. Therefore, he’ll have to make a strong comeback in Barcelona.”
Fortunately, Ferrari had a disastrous performance today resulting in zero points, which ultimately relieved us of some pressure.
“We require both cars to achieve points. Today we were fortunate, but it is crucial to have Checo return to his earlier form from Barcelona onwards.”
Perez experienced a comparable decline in performance during the same period last year, enduring a stretch of five races without making it to Q3 between May and July. This lackluster performance intensified the scrutiny surrounding his future at Red Bull.
After aiding Red Bull in achieving three consecutive one-two finishes in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Japan at the beginning of the 2024 F1 season, Horner has expressed his support for Perez to regain his momentum.
He remarked, “Consistently, we witness him facing challenges and just when you believe he’s about to give up, he manages to recover. He’s a resilient competitor and possesses a tough personality.”
In Barcelona, he will be driven by the pain that affects him more than anyone else, and he’ll be resolute in proving his true capabilities, which he demonstrated in the first four races of this year.
“The margins may be acceptable, but he is fully aware of the high stakes involved.”
“We require him to perform at his highest level because in the Constructors’ standings, there are three teams closely trailing us, and we must be operating at our best.”
During the 2022/23 mid-season, Perez expressed his dissatisfaction with Red Bull’s development, stating that it had shifted away from him throughout the season. This resulted in his performances falling behind Verstappen.
Nevertheless, Helmut Marko, a Red Bull adviser, recently stated that Perez’s ongoing difficulties are primarily rooted in his psychological state. Marko openly expressed his distress over Perez’s failure to qualify for Q3 in three consecutive races.
Marko conveyed to Servus TV that the issue lies not with the car, as evident from Max’s performance. Instead, he believes it is primarily a psychological matter.
He struggles when the conditions change, and the pain intensifies knowing that it’s already the third time.
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