Unless Sergio Perez returns a “changed man” after the summer break, Red Bull could “very quickly” be overtaken by McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship.
- Perez’s podium drought has lasted nine races, leading many to question his form.
- Despite doubts, Red Bull has decided to stick with Perez for the remainder of the season.
- Team boss Christian Horner emphasizes the importance of getting Perez back to early season form.
- McLaren, led by Lando Norris, is quickly closing the gap in the standings.
Unless Sergio Perez returns a “changed man” after the summer break, Red Bull’s lead in the Constructors’ Championship is at serious risk. Perez has spent nine races off the podium, causing many to question his current form and future contributions to the team.
Red Bull surprised many when team boss Christian Horner announced that the team would continue with Perez alongside Max Verstappen after the summer break. This decision comes despite Horner’s earlier remarks that Red Bull “cannot run on one leg” as they had been doing. Horner stressed that the team’s priority is to help Perez regain his early season form. “The team has been and is right behind him. Everybody wants to see him succeed because it hurts seeing him in the situation that he is,” Horner said.
This decision has raised questions about Red Bull’s strategy, especially following rumors that the team might roll back 2024 upgrades, at least with Perez’s car. Perez had four podium finishes in the first five races but fell off the podium in Miami, illustrating his struggle.
In the ongoing driver versus car debate, Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache stated that if the car works for Perez, “both drivers will be able to extract the maximum out of it.” However, F1 pundit Clarkson believes the change needs to come from Perez himself. “I could see McLaren getting some wind in their sails and very quickly overtaking Red Bull unless Sergio Perez comes back from the summer break a changed man, but let’s wait and see,” Clarkson said on the F1 Nation podcast.
Perez’s recent performance has indeed hurt Red Bull in the standings. Since the Miami Grand Prix, where Lando Norris won for McLaren, Perez has scored only 28 points. In contrast, McLaren has tallied 242 points to Red Bull’s 169, reducing the gap between the two teams to just 42 points.
Damon Hill predicts that Verstappen, who is currently 78 points ahead in the Drivers’ Championship, will clinch this year’s World title. However, he believes Red Bull could lose the Constructor’s trophy to McLaren. “I think it’s going to go down to at least Brazil. You know you still need luck to win races, and whilst you can have an advantage and win by a whisker, you only need one drop out and that’s 26 points out the window,” Hill stated. Clarkson added, “I think we’re going to go down to the last race in Abu Dhabi but I think the Constructors’ isn’t going to be that close.”
Red Bull’s future in the Constructors’ Championship hinges on whether Sergio Perez can return to form after the summer break.
