Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images
With teams like McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes closing the gap Red Bull needs the best version of Sergio Pérez down the stretch
When the 2024 Formula 1 season began one of the drivers facing a tremendous amount of pressure was Sergio Pérez. With Pérez entering the final year of his deal with Red Bull, there was rampant speculation that a season like last year, which saw Pérez endure a mid-season swoon that quickly ended any inkling of a title fight between him and Max Verstappen, his time with the team would run out.
However, Red Bull ended that speculation recently, announcing a new contract with Pérez that could keep him with the team through the 2026 season.
Yet the speculation continues, because another mid-season swoon is here.
And unlike last year, it could pose a problem for Red Bull.
Last year Red Bull was by far the dominant team on the grid, as Verstappen and Pérez combined to win 21 of 22 Grands Prix a year ago. Verstappen’s incredible run of success a year ago saw him score 575 points throughout the season, singlehandedly beating second-place Mercedes, who finished with 409 points on the year. The 285 points Pérez scored were good enough for him to finish second in the F1 Drivers’ Championship, but miles behind his teammate.
This year, however, the game has changed. With teams like Ferrari, McLaren, and in recent weeks Mercedes closing the gap to Red Bull, Verstappen might not be in a position to deliver a title on his own. Verstappen remains the clear favorite in the Drivers’ Championship race, as he sits 81 points ahead of second-place Lando Norris. But the Constructors’ Championship is a bit tighter. At the moment Red Bull enjoys a 64-point lead over Ferrari, but the gap has certainly closed.
As for Pérez, he currently sits sixth in the Drivers’ standings, a far cry from his second-place finish a year ago.
But perhaps more alarming for Red Bull is not where Pérez sits at the moment, but how he got there. Consider this graph showing the standings of the top six drivers, courtesy of Formula1Points:
As you can see when the grid left the Miami Grand Prix Pérez — represented by the dashed blue line — was in second behind Verstappen. Since then, however, he has struggled to deliver consistent results … and has seen several drivers overtake him in the standings.
Very similar to the mid-season swoon he endured a season ago.
In fact, since Miami Pérez has lagged far behind the other seven drivers on the top four teams:
This has had an impact on the Constructors’ results since Miami as well. Both McLaren and Mercedes have gained ground on the Bulls at the top of the table, as both teams have outscored Red Bull over this stretch of the season:
Now, Red Bull still enjoys a lead in the Constructors’ Championship, but the gap has narrowed. To the points that Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has discussed what Pérez needs to do to turn things around for himself and the team.
Because as Horner was quick to note, just because he has the new contract in hand does not mean his position is completely secure.
“The first four, five races were very competitive and whatever’s happened that’s caused him to drop off… At Suzuka, one of the toughest tracks in the world and a real drivers’ circuit, he was a tenth of a second off Max, here with nine corners, the gap is obviously significantly greater. We just need to get to the bottom of it and help him recover,” said Horner at the Austrian Grand Prix.
“Checo’s position within the team, and what he’s contributed to the team warranted that [contract extension]. But of course, there’s always pressure to perform and that is irrelevant of contracts, which we’re obviously never going to go into the detail of.”
After that difficult stretch of races a season ago, Pérez rebounded to capture podium finishes in four of six races stretching from Austria to Monza. To hear Horner tell it, it was a sign that the driver can “dig deep,” and perform when the pressure is on.
“Checo knows it’s a pressure business and he knows the scrutiny that there is, particularly in a car that’s winning a lot of races and performing with the other driver the way it is,” Horner said in Austria. “So that’s F1, and that pressure just naturally exists on any team-mate that is under delivering. The media start asking questions and it’s very easy to lose your head.
“Now what I’ve been impressed with Checo over the last four years, is that whenever the pressure has really been on, and it’s on at the moment, he’s always been able to bounce back. And he’s going to need to dig deep to do that.”
Last year, Pérez needed to “dig deep” to solidify his footing within Red Bull, and put himself on a path to that new contract the team announced earlier this season.
This year, however, he needs to dig deep to not just put himself on stronger footing with the team once more, but perhaps help Red Bull fend off a true title fight.
Otherwise, it could truly be game on.
