Less pressure? Sergio Perez disagrees with Red Bull boss Christian Horner
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Red Bull's Sergio Perez (left) and team boss Christian Horner in the garage during practice ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix.
PHOTO: AFP
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MONTREAL – Sergio Perez has said that he needed a reset at the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend and rejected a suggestion by Red Bull team boss Christian Horner that he would be feeling less pressure
The Mexican is now 53 points behind Dutch teammate and Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen after seven races into the season – all won by Red Bull.
Perez, who has two race wins, had challenged Verstappen for the overall lead earlier in the campaign but failed to do so when he had the chance in Miami in May, and then drew a blank in Monaco and finished fourth in Spain.
The 25-year-old Verstappen, defending his title in Canada, has been dominant in the five races that he has won and also finished runner-up in the two – in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan – in which Perez emerged victorious.
“Basically, I want a restart, go again,” Perez said at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
“Monaco was all down to me, I had a really bad mistake.
“But then in Barcelona, in the qualifying, again it was tricky with the damp conditions and we didn’t manage to have a good quali and then we paid the price on Sunday.
“I’m looking forward to get back on the form we had in the early season.”
Horner said after Barcelona that two-time world champion Verstappen, who also won the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix and the Australian race, was a tough teammate to deal with.
“I think now there is that separation in the points, that may actually take the pressure off him (Perez) a little and the expectation he’s putting on himself,” said the Briton.
The man in question thought about that for a moment and agreed to disagree.
“I don’t think so. We always have to deliver to our maximum,” Perez said. “And we just have to make sure we deliver.”
“We have a great car and we should be having a lot of podiums, wins and so on from now until the end of the year.”
The 33-year-old has only once stood on the podium in Montreal, a third place with Sauber in 2012. Last season, the Mexican retired with a gearbox failure.
“I cannot afford to have any bad weekends any more,” he added.
“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.” REUTERS
