Christian Horner’s ‘frustrating element’ amid Sergio Perez Red Bull axe rumours

Christian Horner and Sergio Perez talk

Christian Horner said the “frustrating element” of Sergio Perez’s fresh slump is they know he can do better, admitting every race is crucial amid talk Red Bull could make a mid-season driver swap.

Perez signed a new multi-year deal to stay with Red Bull ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, but that has not stopped the F1 veteran from falling into an alarming performance spiral comparable to last season, with no podium scored since the Chinese Grand Prix in April.

Red Bull ‘desperately need’ Sergio Perez upturn in form

The British Grand Prix marked a fresh disappointment for Perez, who suffered a third Q1 exit out of the last five race weekends, before finishing the race – which took place in changeable weather conditions – two laps down.

And with Red Bull not enjoying the same level of dominance as last season, Perez’s struggles could prove more costly this time around when it comes to Red Bull’s grasp on the Constructors’ Championship.

Their lead over Ferrari is up to 71 points, but McLaren are now only 78 adrift and fancy a push for the title, so with speculation about Perez’s Red Bull future returning, with talk of a driver swap over the summer break, Horner admits “all the races are crucial” with two to go until that break.

PlanetF1.com understands a clause exists in Perez’s contract that allows for such a demotion, which is reportedly based on his points in the Drivers’ Championship. A deficit of 100 points to Verstappen would apparently active the clause, with the current gap 137.

Asked by Speed City Broadcasting if the next two races are crucial for Perez’s future, Horner said: “Well, all the races are crucial.

“Because, the Constructors’, yes, we’ve extended on Ferrari, but McLaren have closed the gap by seven points.

“And we can’t just rely on one car, so we desperately need Checo to start scoring good points again.”

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Horner believes “working with” Perez to re-find his form is the best way of going about achieving that, though said the fact they know Perez can do much better is the “frustrating element” to this situation.

“Just working with him,” said Horner when asked how Red Bull go about nursing Perez back to form.

“I mean, we know what he’s capable of, that’s the frustrating element.

“But, we’ll sit down after this race and look at what we need to do to the last two races before the summer break.”

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