Red Bull Baffled By Sergio Perez's Unexplainable Loss Of Pace

Saajan Jogia | Aug 16, 2024

Jun 7, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez (MEX) races during FP2 practice session of the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports / David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has revealed that the team is confused by the unexplainable drop in Sergio Perez's pace in the 14 races so far, given his spectacular finishes in the early races, followed by a considerable drop in performance as the season neared the summer break. The 50-year-old emphasized that the team would scrutinize the data for possible answers.

The Mexican driver began the 2024 season in great form by finishing on the podium in the first five races of the season, barring the Australian GP. Red Bull was impressed with his race finishes within the points and even complimented Perez for following the team's strategy.

However, his performance soon began to decline steadily, culminating in struggles during qualifying and starting from the back of the grid in two races. Over the last eight Grands Prix, Perez managed to accumulate just 28 points, in stark contrast to Verstappen, who secured 116 points during the same period.

The disparity in points further highlighted his faltering form, as Red Bull's momentum in the Constructors' Championship notably stalled. This slowdown allowed McLaren to make significant progress, narrowing the gap to just 42 points behind Red Bull at the top. The decline in performance became so pronounced that there were even rumors suggesting Perez's potential departure during the summer break.

In the last round before the summer break at Spa-Francorchamps, Perez bounced back to form by securing pole in qualifying, only to finish seventh on Sunday's race. While the 34-year-old's Red Bull seat remained secure after the summer break discussions with the team, Horner highlighted the confusion his team was facing. He told RacingNews365.com:

"Checo's [Sergio Perez] had a tough run over the last few races.

"What's so confusing for us is that the season started so well with him and then tailed off.

"He did a super job in qualifying. Obviously, we need to go through and understand the issues in the race. We've got the time to do that and analyze that and work with him."

Horner emphasized that the team needs to thoroughly analyze the data to pinpoint the issues that affected Perez's performance at Spa. He added:

"Starting on the front row, our objective really was - pre-race we felt that third and fifth would be achievable.

"We achieved the fifth, but we didn't achieve the third. So we obviously need to go through the data, understand where his [Perez's] loss of pace was."