Pink Bull wants two drivers “firing on all cylinders”, warns Christian Horner following lacklustre efficiency from Sergio Perez.
Just like the Ferrari pair, the Mexican’s issues started on Saturday when he did not make it out of Q2 and certified thirteenth for the next day’s race.
Like most he cited a scarcity of grip and in addition “one thing occurring with the tyres” that prevented him qualifying greater up the grid.
Although he made up plenty of positions initially because of the incident involving the Williams pair and Tsunoda, his subsequent progress was primarily the results of the pit stops and consequently he spent a lot of the night working behind Nico Hulkenberg, in a lot the identical approach as he had earlier struggled to go rookie Franco Colapinto.
It was a world away from his battling efficiency per week earlier in Baku, and whereas his teammate was combating to forestall a McLaren 1-2 and preserve Pink Bull within the title struggle, Perez was solely to contribute a single level to the kitty.
Christian Horner was not impressed, and as Daniel Ricciardo seems to have had his final outing for RB, Perez’s long-term future is as soon as once more unsure.
“He was caught round Hulkenberg for mainly 30 laps,” sighed the Pink Bull boss. “I imply, Checo had a great first lap, he’d certified out of place, after which he simply actually struggled to overhaul.
“He was struggling just a little for traction within the areas the place you need the traction out of Flip 3 and onto the again straight,” he admitted. “However, that was what he may handle as we speak.
“We have to have two drivers firing on all cylinders,” he added. “He had a great weekend final weekend. He had a tricky weekend this weekend.
“We have to put some weekends collectively the place you possibly can see the place McLaren are placing two drivers on the rostrum. It is these huge factors that actually make a distinction.
“We have to ensure that Checo goes as far off the sector as we are able to get it, when it comes to discovering the appropriate path.”
The Mexican nevertheless put a lot of the blame on the group’s technique, believing it ought to have used the identical aggressive technique as Ferrari did with Carlos Sainz.
” it, if you see the place Carlos completed we most likely misplaced a possibility to make extra progress and undercut extra individuals. As soon as we went on an analogous tyre age behind Nico, it was just about it.”
It is nearly sure that Liam Lawson is to step into the second RB alongside Tsunoda, however waiting for subsequent 12 months, and presumably even the remaining six races, Pink Bull may take a chance and put the New Zealander within the second Pink Bull.