Sergio Perez is contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2024, but to keep his plum seat the Mexican will need to raise his game next season in one key area according to team boss Christian Horner.
Perez enjoyed a strong opening stint at the start of his 2023 campaign, with the Red Bull charger claiming two pole positions and two race victories in the first five rounds, putting early pressure on his teammate, Max Verstappen.
However, Perez’s form subsequently waned, leading to a five-race stretch without reaching Q3, from Monaco to Great Britain.
These struggles in qualifying severely hampered Perez's points tally and opened the door for a relatively smooth path to a third consecutive drivers' championship for Verstappen.
Perez’s results on race day were a mixed bag in the back half of the season. But qualifying remained a relatively weak point for the 33-year-old, with Verstappen claiming nine pole positions while Perez was never able to start higher that P5.
Horner praised Perez’s efforts on race day but noted that his under-performances in qualifying put him at a disadvantage too frequently on Sundays.
“I think the last few races he’s had a bit of a reset,” Horner told Sky F1 in Abu Dhabi. “His pace, when you look at the analysis through [the Abu Dhabi] weekend, again was very, very strong. He’s just got to sort his Saturdays out.
“His race pace is there, his race craft is fantastic, he’s probably overtaken more cars than anybody this year, but we just need him to be starting in the first four rather than ninth or 10th, whatever his average has been over the last few races.”
Horner believes that Red Bull will be challenged by its rivals next year, the Briton predicting a much tighter field of competitors.
It is therefore likely that Red Bull will need both its drivers among the front runners to uphold its success.
“He’s still finished second in this world championship and won some great races, put in some great drives, but I think he knows where his areas to improve are,” Horner added.
“I think [there will be] a little bit of a reset in terms of how he goes about his racing next year as well.
“He knows it’s a big year for him and he’ll take a bit of time this winter to reflect on where he needs to improve and I’m sure he’ll come back fighting next year.”
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