F1, Red Bull: Sergio Perez with his back to the wall, Christian Horner goes down flat
Despite the renewal, Sergio Perez’s confirmation is no longer è soì taken for granted
Eighth in Imola, withdrawn in Monte Carlo and Montreal, eighth in Catalonia, seventh in Austria (after the eighth place in the Sprint Race), even seventeenth in Silverstone, finally seventh in Hungary: Sergio Perez’s roster after the podium obtained in China on April 21 è anything but praiseworthy and it is no coincidence that at Red Bull it seems that patience with the Mexican is over.
Despite the contract renewal announced at the beginning of June, the permanence of 'Checo' in the Austrian team è all but taken for granted and the words of Christian Horner on the sidelines of the Hungaroring weekend sound like a real ultimatum: "We will not discuss it in front of the media – said the Red Bull team principal to 'Viaplay' – but we can not run with one leg".
Perez's poor run of form does not help a team in trouble, even as far as Max Verstappen is concerned, who despite the wide margin in the standings is no longer able to dominate the scene: a situation that has created further internal tensions, as evidenced by the radio discussion with track engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, who after the contact between the Dutchman and Hamilton in the race and had harshly rejected the reigning world champion's subsequent grievances.
Despite this, Red Bull remains ahead of everyone both in the drivers’ standings, with Max Verstappen holding a 76-point lead over the closest pursuer, Lando Norris, and in the constructors’ standings, where the team founded by the late Dietrich Mateschitz has 51 more points than McLaren.
