Red Bull no longer fields a driver pairing as strong as Ferrari, Mercedes or McLaren amid Sergio Perez’s ongoing struggles against Max Verstappen, says Formula 1 team principal Christian Horner.
Despite Red Bull clinching both world championships for the second year running in 2023, it is not a certainty both of its drivers will finish first and second in the title race.
Perez has scored just five points across the past three races to sit just 30 points ahead of Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton in the drivers’ standings.
The Mexican is suffering from a crisis of confidence after watching team-mate Verstappen romp to a third world title in Qatar, with the gap between the Red Bull pair now over 200 points.
Perez’s dip in form has triggered questions about his Red Bull future in recent months, with Horner saying it needed to sit down with him to try and resolve his rough patch.
But Horner also believes Red Bull’s driver line-up is not as potent as the chasing pack compared to at the start of the season.
“I think with a car like we have, he’s probably putting that pressure on himself,” said Horner, as quoted by Motorsport.com.
“The most important thing for us is winning both [drivers’ and teams’] championships. We’ve done that.
“And then, what’s the next best thing after that would be to have both your drivers first and second.
“You can see Mercedes have a pair, McLaren have a pair, Ferrari have a pair that are quite tight between the respective drivers.
“I think we’ve had that at the earlier point in the year. But as the season has gone on it’s become more variant.
“We just need to get Checo back to the best form that he’s capable of.”
Horner reckoned Perez’s mental state was the prime factor behind his difficult run of results, although the six-time grand prix winner is working with a psychological coach.
Asked if he was concerned that the disparity between Red Bull’s drivers could prove costly in the long run, with Perez contracted for next year, Horner said: “The frustration is that we know what Checo has been capable of doing.
“Of course, last year and this year, he’s contributed significantly to the constructors’ championship. We desperately want him to find that form and as a team; we need him to.
“We can’t afford to have a big split because if, as you would expect, the grid continues to concertina next year, we need both drivers delivering at the top of the game.”
