Christian Horner admits Red Bull has a weak line-up compared to Mercedes and Ferrari, says they ‘need to get Checo back to the best form’

Sergio Perez has struggled massively in comparison to Lewis Hamilton during the 2023 F1 season.

Christian Horner admits Red Bull has a weak line-up compared to Mercedes and Ferrari, says they ‘need to get Checo back to the best form’

Max verstappen, Sergio Perez and Christian Horner (Via IMAGO)

The Red Bull Formula 1 team has secured the 2023 Driver’s and the Constructor’s Championship. The next target for the team for the ongoing campaign is to finish 1-2 in the standings with its drivers, and keeping this in mind, Christian Horner has indirectly indicated that the Red Bulls driver line-up is weak in comparison to the lights of Mercedes, Ferrari, and, McLaren.

Max Verstappen has not put a single foot wrong this year and has perfectly led the charge of the Milton-Keynes-based team. While the Dutchman has run riot, his teammate, Sergio Perez, has massively struggled to get to grips with the RB19. During the initial rounds, Perez could go wheel to wheel with Verstappen, but since then, he has been on a downward slope.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNq_RYr2w2g

While shedding light on the Red Bull F1 team’s targets and Sergio Perez’s woes, Christian Horner said, as reported by Motorsport, “I think with a car like we have, he’s probably putting that pressure on himself. The most important thing for us is winning both [drivers’ and teams’] championships. We’ve done that. And then, what’s the next best thing after that would be to have both your drivers first and second.”

“You can see Mercedes have a pair, McLaren have a pair, Ferrari have a pair that are quite tight between the respective drivers. I think we’ve had that at the earlier point in the year. But as the season has gone on it’s become more variant. We just need to get Checo back to the best form that he’s capable of.” The Brit’s frustration is very evident from his comments.

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Christian Horner and Co. have five races remaining in 2023

With the Qatar Grand Prix weekend out of the way, five races remain in the 2023 F1 season. Sergio Perez only scored one point during the whole three-day event and is currently on 224 points. However, his rival for second place in the driver’s standings, Lewis Hamilton, scored some points and has reduced the gap between them.

Christian Horner and Helmut Marko (Credits: racingnews365)
Christian Horner and Helmut Marko (Credits: racingnews365)

As things stand, the Mercedes maestro is only 30 points behind Perez in the 2023 Drivers Championship. While the latter has struggled throughout the year, Hamilton has been able to do a terrific job behind the wheel of the unpredictable Mercedes’s W14. This is one reason he has managed a brilliant five podium finishes so far.

Considering everything discussed above, the upcoming five races could decide the future of Sergio Perez at the pinnacle of motor racing. Red Bull wants him to finish second and in case he fails to manage this, there is a genuine possibility that he could be shown the exit door ahead of the 2024 season of the sport.

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