Christian Horner reveals Perez plan to get back on track amid dismal F1 form

Perez, Horner, Red Bull, Miami, 2022 — Photo: © LAT Images

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Horner reveals Perez plan to get back on track amid dismal F1 form

Christian Horner is pleased with the effort shown by Sergio Perez in attempting to resurrect his season

Cal Gaunt

Friday 20 October 2023 07:57

Sergio Perez has been putting in extra effort to reverse his recent struggles and steer his season back on track, according to Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.

The Mexican driver currently finds himself in one of the most challenging periods of his career as a Red Bull driver. Despite having the fastest car at his disposal, he has managed to accumulate a mere five points over the past three full race weekends.

On top of that, questions have arisen about his on-track conduct after being involved in several recent collisions, with Yuki Tsunoda, Alex Albon, and Kevin Magnussen among those impacted by his actions during the races in Singapore and Japan.

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At the Qatar Grand Prix, Perez faced yet more setbacks, having incurred three penalties for track limit violations, eventually resulting in a P10 finish. His recent dip in performance has allowed Lewis Hamilton to narrow the gap to just 30 points in the drivers' standings.

Sergio Perez is trying to get back on track after a disappointing few months

Sergio Perez is still P2 in the drivers' standings behind his team-mate Max Verstappen

Christian Horner believes Sergio Perez is doing everything he can to finish the season strongly

Perez going the extra yard

For Red Bull, the prospect of both their drivers finishing in the top two of the drivers' standings, a feat they've never achieved before, remains a key objective. With the team having already secured both the drivers' and constructors' championships, their focus now centres on supporting Perez in maintaining his second-place position.

While Horner undoubtedly has concerns about Perez's form, he expressed his satisfaction in witnessing the driver's dedicated efforts to getting back on track.

"He was on the simulator for three days last week, which is not something he has ever done previously," he told the Mirror.

"Three days in succession to try to help him to get to the root cause of some of the issues he felt he had in Qatar and Japan.

"I think he made some great progress so, hopefully, that will come to the fore this weekend. He's going the extra yard, which is so important."