Christian Horner shares Sergio Perez verdict after Belgian GP ahead of crucial Red Bull meeting

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Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez is unlikely to have a good night’s sleep on Sunday night.

The Belgian Grand Prix was the perfect opportunity for Sergio Perez to silence his doubters.

He qualified brilliantly at Spa, putting his Red Bull on the front row alongside Charles Leclerc after Max Verstappen’s penalty.

However, a slightly sluggish start was all Lewis Hamilton needed to leapfrog the Mexican driver on lap one.

From there, Perez continued to tumble further and further down the order before having his strategy compromised to avoid holding up Red Bull teammate Verstappen.

After losing out to Carlos Sainz towards the end of the race, Perez was once again running in 8^th and set to deliver just a handful of points for the team.

Red Bull pitted Perez at the very end of the race and he did at least manage to steal the fastest lap off Lando Norris, creating a two-point swing in the Constructors’ Championship.

However, with Verstappen dealing with a ten-place grid penalty due to an engine change, the pressure was on Perez to deliver the necessary points to avoid McLaren making any ground on them going into the summer break.

Unfortunately, he was unable to do that and speaking to the press after the race, via Formule1.nl, Christian Horner has shared his thoughts on Perez’s performance.

Perez has a meeting with Red Bull on Monday to discuss his future as the summer break begins.

The worry for Perez is he hasn’t secured a top-six finish since the Miami Grand Prix in eight races ago.

When it comes to the Constructors’ Championship, Red Bull simply can’t hold off McLaren or Mercedes if he continues at this current rate.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Sergio Perez’s life outside F1 from net worth to nickname

Christian Horner delivers Sergio Perez verdict after disappointing Belgian Grand Prix

As relayed by the Dutch press, Horner said: “We need to study and discuss this thoroughly. Obviously, we don’t want a driver who starts the race from P2 to finish in P8.

“We need two cars that score points. McLaren closed in on us again today. That has to stop. Hopefully, we can get our revenge after the summer break.”

Further to this, journalist Daniel Moxon reported: “Christian Horner says “we have all the info” heading into the summer, as Red Bull have a big decision to make over his future.

“Naturally, he wasn’t giving much away in his session with print media but it was clear he was disappointed with how Sergio Perez’s #BelgianGP went.”

It’s not a surprise that Horner was upset, but now all eyes will be on the Milton Keynes factory to see what happens on Monday.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

Daniel Ricciardo’s dream return to Red Bull could be on the cards

The most likely driver to replace Sergio Perez is Daniel Ricciardo should Red Bull decide a change is necessary for the final 10 race weekends of the season.

Ricciardo previously admitted it’s his dream to return to Red Bull before his Formula 1 career comes to an end.

The irony is that Ricciardo’s F1 dream might end with Red Bull if he does earn a promotion during the summer break as he’s still not signed a contract for 2025.

It’s hard to see the Australian agreeing to a promotion without a guarantee over his future but Red Bull also have a dilemma when it comes to their junior team.

Liam Lawson would likely inherit his RB seat for the rest of the campaign which would be well deserved.

However, Isack Hadjar is leading the Formula 2 championship and would be excluded from running at that level again in 2025 if he wins the title.

Hadjar is another talent Helmut Marko likes and he might want to find a space for the Frenchman next season.