As Formula 1 Today Heads Into the Next Stage of the Season, Red Bull Extends Lead
Red Bull Dominates in Montreal, but Perez Struggles
Red Bull has significantly extended its lead in the constructors’ championship standings following a dramatic Montreal F1 victory, with Max Verstappen taking the top step on the podium. The team now boasts a 49-point advantage over Ferrari, with the Italian team’s drivers both retiring from the race.
However, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez struggled to make an impact, failing to escape Q1 on Saturday and eventually crashing out on lap 51 of 70. This poor performance has seen his points total over the last three races dwindle to just four, with 10 other drivers outscoring him during the same period.
“It was a horrible weekend for Checo, and obviously, we picked up some damage,” said Christian Horner, Red Bull’s Team Principal. Horner emphasized the importance of Perez bouncing back, saying, “He’ll need to come back strong in Barcelona. We need both cars scoring. We got away with it today, but we need Checo back up there where he was at the beginning of the year from Barcelona onwards.”
Despite Perez’s recent struggles, Horner remains confident in the Mexican driver’s ability to turn things around. “What we see with Checo time and time again is that when you think he’s on the ropes, he bounces back. He’s a tough racer and he’s a tough character, and it hurts him more than anybody else.” The Red Bull boss is backing Perez to rediscover his form, which saw him perform strongly in the first four races of the season.
Perez Determined to Regroup and Learn from Difficult Weekend
Perez’s dip in form has seen him drop to fifth in the Formula 1 standings, but he is determined to regroup and learn from the difficult weekend. “It has been a very tough couple of weekends. I think we will just regroup, put our heads down, and learn from the weekend,” Perez said. While he acknowledged that the drying track conditions made it difficult to make progress, he took full responsibility for his crash, explaining, “That was just on me. I touched the wet part into Turn 6, and you couldn’t stop the car. It was completely wet. I touched the brakes and just couldn’t stop, so that was a bit unfortunate.”
As the Formula 1 calendar moves on to Barcelona, Red Bull will be looking to capitalize on their current advantage, with Perez seeking to rediscover his earlier form to support teammate Verstappen’s title challenge.
🔗 Source