F1 News: Ex-Red Bull Driver On Under Pressure Sergio Perez - 'Something Is Missing'

Saajan Jogia | Jul 10, 2024

19th placed qualifier Sergio Perez of Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing walks in the Pitlane during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain at Silverstone Circuit on July 06, 2024 in Northampton, England. / Getty Images

Alpine driver Pierre Gasly, who once raced for Red Bull throws light on the possible scenario being faced by Sergio Perez, emphasizing that 'something is missing' for the 'under pressure' Mexican driver.

Perez's current lack of form is evident, particularly highlighted by his performance at the British Grand Prix. Qualifying saw him struggle, ending up in P19 after losing control of his RB20 and getting stuck in the gravel. His race performance mirrored this struggle, finishing seventeenth in the Grand Prix.

Verstappen currently leads the championship with 255 points, while Perez is sixth with 118 points. Reports indicate that Perez has only two more Grands Prix to demonstrate his capabilities. Despite his recent contract extension with Red Bull, a replacement clause in his contract could spell trouble for Perez.

Throwing light on Perez's possible situation from his Alpine garage, Gasly told the media:

“First of all, I think my situation was very different than Checo’s situation.

“But I think right now, he is under big pressure.

“I don’t really know what to say to be fair. He is a good driver, everybody knows it but he doesn’t seem to get his things together, whether it’s himself or coming from the team. I don’t know and can’t really comment on that.”

Gasly highlighted a critical observation about Perez, noting that he seems to struggle with connecting with the car, which prevents him from extracting its maximum performance. He added:

“Ultimately, his problem at the moment is he doesn’t feel the car.

“Whenever you feel strong with a car you have, for whatever reason, an off weekend. Next weekend, you come back, you feel good, you put the strong laps in and you don’t even think about it.

“But he just doesn’t seem to be able to get the performance out of it, whether it’s coming from him or the team, I don’t know.

“But there’s clearly something that is missing at the moment between the two.”