Zak Brown has explained that he ‘would be concerned’ with the performances of Sergio Perez if he was the Red Bull team principal. The Mexican driver hasn’t finished higher than seventh in the past five races ahead of the British Grand Prix.
After five rounds of the 2024 campaign, Perez looked to have recovered his form, notching four podiums and sitting second in the standings behind team-mate and reigning world champion Max Verstappen.
This matched Red Bull’s expectations, and the 34-year-old was duly rewarded with a two-year contract extension ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix. However, since then, his form has capitulated.
With 10 races complete and the season nearing the halfway mark, Perez has slipped to fifth in the Drivers’ Championship standings with the gap to team-mate Verstappen widening to over 100 points.
Perez’s struggles have been so dramatic that ahead of the race at Silverstone, a report circulated from Auto Motor und Sport suggesting that Red Bull are considering dropping him mid-season with Daniel Ricciardo waiting in the wings.
Ahead of FP3 on Saturday, McLaren CEO Brown was asked whether he would replace Perez if he was in Horner’s shoes. He replied: “I would be, which I’m sure they are, very concerned about the lack of performance. But I like Sergio, so I wouldn’t want to comment further on that.”
Brown’s concerns were echoed by the Horner at Silverstone. “We thought the contract would help,” he explained. “It’s something Checo is working very hard on, and he knows.
“Look, this is a sport where there is no hiding. Particularly with Max Verstappen as your teammate, he knows he’s being measured against the very best.
“We need him up there, supporting Max. There’s two McLarens, two Ferraris, two Mercedes and we desperately need two Red Bulls.”
