Red Bull ‘can’t afford big split’ between drivers as Perez urged to raise game

While newly-crowned three-time world champion Verstappen dominated the Qatar Grand Prix to record his 14th win from 17 races this season,  Perez finished 10th - over 80 seconds behind his teammate - after picking up three five-second time penalties. 

Red Bull team principal Horner described Perez’s latest difficult weekend as “horrible”, with the Mexican leaving Qatar 208 points behind Verstappen. 

“I think with a car like we have, he's probably putting that pressure on himself,” Horner said. 

“The most important thing for us is winning both [drivers’ and teams’] championships. We've done that.

“And then, what's the next best thing after that would be to have both your drivers first and second.

“You can see Mercedes have a pair, McLaren have a pair, Ferrari have a pair that are quite tight between the respective drivers.

“I think we've had that at the earlier point in the year. But as the season has gone on it's become more variant.

“We just need to get Checo back to the best form that he's capable of.”

And Horner conceded Perez, who is under contract for 2024, must raise his performance level with the likes of McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari starting to bridge the gap. 

“The frustration is that we know what Checo has been capable of doing,” he explained. 

“Of course, last year and this year, he's contributed significantly to the constructors’ championship. We desperately want him to find that form and as a team; we need him to.

“We can't afford to have a big split because if, as you would expect, the grid continues to concertina next year, we need both drivers delivering at the top of the game.”