F1: Points gap takes pressure off Perez

(GMM) Sergio Perez’s form may return to normal now that his teammate Max Verstappen is apparently cruising to his third consecutive drivers’ title.

That is the view of team boss Christian Horner, after fellow Red Bull official Dr Helmut Marko said the issue of who is number 1 driver in 2023 “resolved itself” with the Monaco and Barcelona rounds.

In just two weeks, Mexican Perez’s points gap to Verstappen has blown out to over 50 points due to driving errors.

When asked if Perez simply put too much pressure on himself to go toe-to-toe with the two-time champion, Horner is quoted by Speed Week as answering: “I think so.

“We know what Checo is capable of and we saw it in Baku and Saudi Arabia. But I’m sure he will find this form again in the near future.

“I think the gap between the two drivers, which is quite large now, will take the pressure off his shoulders in many ways. And I think that will allow him to relax, not put himself under pressure and just get back to the form he was in the early races,” Horner added.