Red Bull team boss, Christian Horner, watched rival McLaren extend their lead in the Constructors’ Championship on Sunday. With both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri on the podium, the lead was stretched to forty-one points. Max Verstappen finished in P2, but Sergio Pérez only managed to secure the tenth spot. Horner expects more from Pérez in the upcoming six Grands Prix – his current performance could cost the team the title.
“Pérez was stuck behind Nico Hülkenberg for about thirty laps,” Horner responded to the media in Singapore. “Okay, he had a good first lap, but he had already qualified in the wrong place and then he really struggled to overtake.” Checo was eliminated in Q2 for the umpteenth time on Saturday and started the race at Marina Bay from a disappointing thirteenth place.
“He (Pérez) struggled to find grip,” Horner continued. “In the places where you need traction, it became painfully clear. For example, coming out of the third corner, you want to drive onto the straight as fast as possible. Unfortunately, this was the maximum he could do.” The Mexican driver only managed to secure one World Championship point with the tenth place. As a result, Red Bull went home with nineteen points, while rival McLaren added a whopping forty points after Singapore.
Title Battle
“We need two drivers operating at full capacity,” Horner explained. With six Grands Prix left on the calendar, McLaren’s lead can easily be overtaken, but it is crucial that Red Bull scores more points than their competitors from Woking. “Pérez had a good weekend last week,” Horner referred to the GP of Azerbaijan. “This weekend was unfortunately a bit tougher.”
“We really need to start performing now, like McLaren is doing – they have two drivers on the podium,” the team boss concluded. “Those are the big points that make the difference. It’s clear that we need to ensure Checo significantly improves.”
