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Red Bull Racing has utterly and completely dominated the 2023 Formula 1 season.
But team principal Christian Horner still does not seem happy with driver Sergio Perez.
Red Bull clinched the 2023 constructors championship two weeks ago in Japan with six races remaining on the calendar.
Superstar driver Max Verstappen clinched his third consecutive drivers championship this past weekend in Qatar with five races remaining.
Verstappen and Perez sit 1-2 in the drivers standing.
But it hasn’t been an easy season for Perez. Vertsappen has almost doubled his point total (433-224). Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton (194) could pass him for second place in the standings.
And Perez has failed to finish a race or started deep in the pack several times throughout the season due to driver errors.
Following the Qatar Grand Prix, Horner put his foot down and expressed his disappointment with the way Perez has driven this season.
“I think we really need to sit down with Checo because we know what he’s capable of and he’s really not hitting that form at the moment,” Horner said. “We desperately need him to find his form to keep that second place in the championship.
“So yeah, frustrating that he’s only come out of the [Qatar] weekend with one point and I think even starting from the back of the grid there was a chance to score heavily today, or decently.”
Perez has partnered Verstappen for each of his three straight drivers titles.
And he played a fundamental role in helping his teammate win his first championship in 2021.
But his results have slowly declined with each passing season and with drivers such as Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson waiting in the wings, Perez’s job could well be on the line.
The 33-year-old Mexican driver may not be on his way out quite yet.
But if his struggles continue, it’s hard to imagine he won’t be in the near future.