Helmut Marko, the head of Red Bull, puts additional pressure on Sergio Perez before the Horner talks.
After Sergio Perez’s disappointing performance at the Qatar Grand Prix, Red Bull team manager Helmut Marko has increased the pressure on him.
After also collapsing in the sprint race on Saturday that ultimately gave teammate Max Verstappen the victory, the Mexican driver only earned one point in the race on Sunday.
Since it has been obvious for weeks that Verstappen will win his third consecutive drivers’ championship, Red Bull has already begun to focus on other team members in an effort to continue to develop and avoid complacency among their ranks.
Although Perez is still second in the standings, he runs the risk of costing Red Bull a one-two finish if he cannot get back to his previous level of performance.
Due to the driver’s repeated infractions of track regulations during the race on Sunday, Marko has given the 33-year-old a stern warning.
“He has to get out of this downward spiral,” he said in an interview with Sky Deutschland.
Although there were quick laps in between, the numerous penalties make things worse.
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The head of the Red Bull team, Christian Horner, also addressed Perez’s dissatisfaction, saying he would like to speak with the driver to try and resolve the ongoing problems.
“We need to speak with him (Perez) to understand what happened,” he said.
“We will continue to give him our full support.
He had a tough race and a very tough weekend.
He’s still second in the drivers’ standings, but he needs to quickly get back in shape.
Though Horner has made no indication that he is looking to find Verstappen a new teammate at this time, speculation is rife that the conversations could be the start of several crucial rounds of negotiations with Perez’s position under threat.