Horner defends Perez: ‘We’d still be leading with Checo if we didn’t have Max’

Perez was knocked out in Q2 after his best lap - which was good enough to be inside the top 10 - was deleted for track limits.

It capped off another disappointing qualifying display for the Mexican, who currently sits 33 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the race for P2 in the championship.

Despite another poor display, Horner defended Perez, stating that they’d still be leading the drivers’ championship even if Max Verstappen wasn’t at the team.

“I mean we’d still be leading the world championship with Checo if we didn’t have him but obviously the delta between the two is difficult to explain at the moment,” he said.

“It's a shame for Checo - he made it into Q3 and lost the lap time. We saw the same thing with Oscar and Lando. It’s very tough. Again Max getting the job done. A tough one for Checo.”

Horner vowed to support Perez “in these difficult moments”.

“I think Checo responds better to an arm around the shoulder and it’s mentally a tough game,” he added. “All sport, all top line sport is and when you’re going up against a driver like Max, with the pressure that comes with it, that pressure only intensifies. We know what he’s capable of and we know that he’s a great racer. 

“Qualifying is always his Achilles heel so we’ve just got to try and support him in these difficult moments so he comes back strong tomorrow and on the race on Sunday.”

Perez lamented “so many issues” for his latest qualifying shocker.

“It was quite difficult,” he explained. “We struggled a lot for balance. Basically, we had so many issues that I just couldn't feel...every corner was pretty much different. I think the conditions are very difficult. I just struggled a lot today in qualifying.

“It's not over but it will be very difficult to pass, especially with the track conditions we currently have. We will see what we are able to do and recover from there.”