Perez need not put pressure on himself, says Red Bull boss Horner

BARCELONA – Formula One championship leader Max Verstappen was simply unbeatable in Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix and teammate Sergio Perez should put less pressure on himself, Red Bull boss Christian Horner said.

Double world champion Verstappen is now 53 points clear of the Mexican – still his closest title rival – after seven of 22 races and could skip the next two and still be top of the standings.

So dominant was the 25-year-old Dutchman at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya that he finished 24 seconds clear of Mercedes’ second-placed Lewis Hamilton, the sport’s most successful driver of all time.

Verstappen was fastest in every practice session, in qualifying and also took the bonus point for fastest lap of the race.

Perez started 11th and finished fourth in what he described as a race of “damage limitation”, but insisted his confidence remained high, while Horner said he should take away the positives.

“Being Max Verstappen’s teammate, take nothing away,” Horner said.

“There is not a driver out there today, I believe, that would have beaten Max in that car today. So he (Perez) is up against a driver that is at the top of his form. And that’s very tough.

“Mentally it’s a really tough thing to deal with, but now there is that separation in the points that may actually take the pressure off him a little and the expectation he’s putting on himself. He needs to let go of that now and just be free to drive.”

Looking to crank up the pressure on Verstappen and Red Bull are Mercedes, after Hamilton hailed their first real test of their re-designed Formula One car.

“Mega job guys, Mega job,” Hamilton shouted over the team radio at the chequered flag.

“The car felt great. We’ve definitely got steps to continue taking to try and close the gap to the Red Bulls, but this is way more than I expected this weekend and I thoroughly enjoyed the race,” he told Sky Sports television.

“As long as I’ve been racing, if you’re quick here you should be good elsewhere.”

The points sent Mercedes second in the constructors’ championship, ahead of Aston Martin.

The positive display from the cars was amplified when Hamilton, in explaining his desire to hunt down the Red Bulls, hinted at the possibility of a contract renewal.

“I’m more focused on making sure we have the car next year to challenge them from day one,” added Hamilton.

“The further we continue to push the car this year, the more that impacts next year also in some ways.”

Asked if he would be at Mercedes in 2024, the 38-year-old Briton replied: “I haven’t signed anything yet, but we’re meeting with (team boss) Toto (Wolff) tomorrow so hopefully we can get something done.”

Wolff said it would probably take half an hour over coffee.

Meanwhile, Spanish Grand Prix stewards fined Mercedes €10,000 (S$14,000) on Sunday for a breach of post-race procedures after driver physios entered areas that were off-limits. REUTERS