Sergio Perez given VICIOUS F1 put-down by rival amid Red Bull struggles

Sergio Perez

Perez given VICIOUS put-down by F1 rival amid Red Bull struggles

Red Bull and McLaren are separated by just 42 points after 14 races

Parth Jhaveri

Sunday 11 August 2024 18:57

McLaren F1 chief Zak Brown has regarded Red Bull driver Sergio Perez as a weak spot for the Milton Keynes team.

Red Bull are leading both the championships, courtesy of stellar driving early on in the season from Max Verstappen. The Dutch driver won four out of first five races as Red Bull asserted early dominance.

F1 HEADLINES: Hamilton stunned by Wolff challenge as Mercedes boss throws down warning

Article continues under video

Red Bull have 408 points after 14 races but cannot rest as McLaren are eating into their lead. The Papaya team have managed to trim the advantage down to 42 points, courtesy of consistent results from Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

On the other hand, Verstappen seems to be the lone warrior for Red Bull. Perez has only managed 28 points in the last eight races. His negligible contributions have mounted pressure on Red Bull as they risk conceding the constructors’ title to McLaren.

Sergio Perez is now fighting for his future at Red Bull

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have 12 podium finishes between them this season

Will McLaren catch Red Bull in the constructors' battle?

In fact, Perez’s poor performances have also forced the Red Bull top brass to ponder over his continuity in the second half of the season. After the Belgian GP, Christian Horner decided to stick with Perez until the end of the season despite the Mexican's poor showing in Spa to drop from the front row down to seventh.

McLaren F1 CEO, Brown, feels that a title fight with Red Bull is on the cards and the result could well depend on Perez’s performances as Piastri and Norris are performing efficiently.

"It's going to be tough," Brown said to BBC. "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."

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton McLaren Lando Norris