Sergio Perez refutes Christian Horner’s claims, believes he is still under same pressure despite diminished title hopes

The gap to the top for Perez has widened to a staggering 53 points after seven rounds

Sergio Perez and Christian Horner (Credits: Sports Illustrated)

Sergio Perez had posed a strong challenge to Max Verstappen for the top position in the championship earlier this season. He missed an opportunity to seize the overall lead in Miami. Subsequently, he failed to earn any points in Monaco and settled for P4 in Spain. His title hopes now diminished, Christian Horner, team boss at Red Bull, asserted that the pressure was off Perez with the gap opened up.

When asked by Sky Sports if he agreed with Horner, Perez replied, “No I don’t think so. We always have to deliver to our maximum. We have to make sure we deliver, we have a great car, we should be having a lot of podiums, wins and so on from now until the end of the year. I basically want a restart, to go again. Monaco was all down to me, I had a really bad mistake.”

He continued, “Then in Barcelona in the qualifying again, it was tricky with the damp conditions, we didn’t manage to have a good qualy, and we paid the price on Sunday. I’m looking forward to getting back on the form we had in the early season. I cannot afford to have any bad weekends anymore. I think I’ve had two or three bad weekends in the season, so I really have to get rid of those and keep the consistency high, because I think Max has been really good and consistent throughout this period.”

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Perez now stands 53 points behind Verstappen, a deficit that has never been overcome in F1 history. With his teammate executing flawless race weekends, his chances remain meager, requiring a miracle to take the championship lead from Verstappen. Canada and the upcoming races are a golden opportunity for him to prove Christian Horner wrong.

Sergio Perez is determined to be back at his best in Canada to reignite battle with Max Verstappen

Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen (Credits: Sports Illustrated)

The Mexican has made a strong commitment to achieving remarkable consistency in his performance, aiming to narrow down Max Verstappen’s 53-point advantage in the drivers’ championship. At the beginning of the season, Perez showcased an impressive start. His victories in Jeddah and Baku were hard-fought and well-deserved. Notably, he outperformed his teammate on both occasions.

However, Perez encountered significant setbacks in the subsequent three race weekends, most notably in Monaco and Spain, where his teammate secured victories while he failed to reach the podium. Speaking to RacingNews365, Perez has vowed a comeback. He said, “I am looking forward to getting back in the car this weekend. “

Montreal! Let’s do this!#CanadianGP #SP11 pic.twitter.com/3bT0lDAoRe
— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) June 16, 2023

Continuing, he added, ” I know what I must do to get back to the form I am capable of and as a team, we know how to get the car into a window where I will perform best. Getting through moments like this, it’s more important than ever to work as a team and we will all support each other to push for the win in Canada. I have a fantastic car and it’s always exciting to get behind the wheel, I must be massively consistent in Montreal and have a complete weekend.”

Perez has emphasized his desire to compete with Verstappen again, with Canada proving to be no less than a must-win race for him. This race could either put his title hopes to bed, solidify his role as a wingman for the remainder of the year, or reiterate his intent to challenge the driver’s title.