Zak Brown believes Sergio Perez holds the key to the outcome of the 2024 championship battle as McLaren and Red Bull go head-to-head.
Red Bull currently leads McLaren by a mere 42 points in the Constructors’ Championship. This lead has steadily decreased as the season has progressed, with McLaren closing in on the Milton Keynes-based team.
A significant issue for Red Bull this season has been the inconsistent performances of Sergio Perez. Although Perez had a strong start, comfortably securing second place in the Drivers’ Championship behind Max Verstappen, his recent performances have faltered. Despite achieving four podiums in the first five races, his best finish since Miami has been three seventh-place finishes, most recently at the Belgian Grand Prix.
While Verstappen has maintained his usual high standards, securing wins has become more challenging due to the resurgence of McLaren and Mercedes. The lack of consistent high scoring from Perez is a major concern. McLaren CEO Zak Brown emphasizes the importance of Perez’s performance in the final ten races. In an interview with the BBC, Brown stated, “It’s going to be tough. I think it’s going to come down to the last race. There’s not much between the cars. It’s gonna come down to how does Sergio Perez perform? If he can perform as he’s capable of performing, it’s going to be a hard fight. If he continues to perform as he has this year, we have a pretty good chance, because we have two drivers constantly performing at the front.”
In contrast, McLaren’s drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, have been performing at their peak, both securing their first Grand Prix wins this year. Their consistent threat for victories and podiums since the upgrades to the MCL38 has been pivotal in closing the gap to the front of the field. Brown admitted his surprise at how quickly McLaren has become a championship contender. He said, “If I were to sit here and say I’m not surprised, that would be disingenuous. Red Bull had such an advantage over everyone and Mercedes has been so dominant. I felt like we’d continue to close the gap. Did I think we would be here at the summer break, one race away from getting the lead? That race would have to be first and second and fastest lap, and do I think it’s going to happen like that? No. But if we keep the same trajectory we’ve been on the last six, seven races, we’ll be where we need to be by the end of the year. I thought we might get where we are now by 2025. I didn’t think we would be where we are now in 2024. But I’m not complaining.”
As the 2024 season progresses, Sergio Perez’s performance will be crucial in determining whether Red Bull can maintain its lead or if McLaren will capitalize on their recent momentum to clinch the title. The final races promise an intense battle, with every performance potentially being the deciding factor.
