“There was not much hope,” said Sergio Perez in Barcelona, continuing his underperforming streak. With barely any clips of his racing shown on F1TV, the race director inadvertently summed up his lackluster performance, which secured a lowly P8. With only 8 points in the last four races compared to teammate Max Verstappen‘s 83, Perez is rightfully in the firing line. Moreover, McLaren is now evenly matched with Red Bull. Because of this rising threat, neither Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner nor Team Advisor Helmut Marko has defended Perez.

Slapped with a 3-place grid penalty for the Spanish GP, courtesy of an infringement in Canada, the Mexican racer had to maximize his RB20’s performance in qualifying to earn a decent grid position. But his woes continued as he slotted between the Alpines to secure P8, which became P11 with the penalty. Following a 3-stop race, he gained 3 places to finish P8, which Christian Horner said was in line with the prediction. However, the British team boss emphasized that Perez has nowhere to hide with McLaren on their tail.

“We need Checo in the mix,” Horned said post-race, adding, “He knows that and the team knows that.” Contrasting Perez’s performance with Verstappen’s, Helmut Marko added how the car cannot be blamed because the rivals are joining the podium mix. “Checo started much further back. But that’s true,” he told Oe24, hinting at the 34-year-old driver’s lack of confidence. “Now that everything is coming together like this, you can’t afford any weaknesses,” the 81-year-old concluded. Perez’s run of poor performances right after a 2-year contract extension has raised doubts over Horner’s decision. Now, with McLaren’s Lando Norris currently P2 in the drivers’ championship, the RB team boss is concerned about their dominance ending.

Christian Horner fears for Red Bull’s future with Lando Norris ‘consistently’ challenging them

Within one year, McLaren has organized their development and their mighty MCL38 is the epitome of a ground-effect era car. Lando Norris‘ confidence has skyrocketed, with the 24-year-old willing to take on reigning champion Max Verstappen. With the Miami GP victory and two near-victories in Imola and Spain, Norris has opened the door for a championship battle.

“I think if Lando would have had track position it would have been difficult to beat him today,” Christian Horner post-race in Spain, adding “I mean, it was so close between the two of them that they were eighteen seconds ahead of the rest of the field. So I would say that Lando has emerged from the pack as the most consistent challenger.”

Fortunately for the Milton Keynes outfit, McLaren’s talisman lost his race lead even before Turn 1 in Lap 1. However, with 3 teams fighting Red Bull for the top prize, compared to none in 2023, Perez needs to rise to the occasion. Otherwise, with Carlos Sainz still available on the driver market for 2025, a simple ‘hasta la vista’ from Red Bull awaits him. What do you make of Christian Horner’s fears? Share your thoughts in the comments below.