Sergio Perez "caught out" by Red Bull change as F1 star admits lack of trust

05 August 2023 , 11:51

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Sergio Perez "caught out" by Red Bull change as F1 star admits lack of trust

Sergio Perez has revealed he has trust issues amid his recent on-track struggles with Red Bull.

The Mexican took the chequered flag in two of the opening four races this season, winning in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan. It raised hopes amongst fans and pundits of a potential title race, after teammate Max Verstappen cruised to a second consecutive title win in 2022.

But Perez has since fallen away, at one point failing to reach Q3 for five consecutive races. His wretched run seemingly began in Monaco at the end of May, where he crashed out in qualifying after losing control of his car and careering into the barriers.

There was respite in Belgium last weekend, with Perez finishing runner-up behind Verstappen. But he now lies a mammoth 125 points behind the Dutchman in the drivers' standings, with the battle for the championship all but over.

And addressing the media, Perez admitted to being caught off-guard by changes to the RB14 vehicles, which have affected him psychologically since the Monaco debacle. Asked if he was guilty of 'overdriving' he said: "Certainly when when you're not fully confident with the with the car.

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"I think what happened in Monaco probably brought me a step back and has taken me some time to fully trust the car the way I was [driving] it. Then you add the external factor with changeable conditions and then there is a bit more of a discrepancy."

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Sergio Perez is under pressure from F1 fans and the media (Lynne Sladky/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

And he claimed the interchangeable conditions from race to race was hindering him further. "There is a deficit that I've been experiencing with the car in the last few races," he conceded. "Whenever there is a change of condition, it tends to get wider this 'limit', let's put it that way. That has been something that has caught us out."

The explanation comes as speculation mounts over the future of Perez at Red Bull. His apparent indifferences with Verstappen, coupled by his failure to challenge his partner for the title, have led to calls for him to make way for Daniel Ricciardo.

The Australian is currently the team's reserve driver, having come on board from McLaren at the end of 2022. And former Formula 1 driver Hans-Joachim Stuck has stoked the fires by publicly arguing the 'Honey Badger' deserved a spot on the grid more than Perez.

Fraser Watson