Christian Horner shares what Sergio Perez did in Singapore that was ‘hugely important’ for Red Bull

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Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner knows that the autumn break ahead of the final six race weekends of the season are going to be vital for his team.

Max Verstappen currently holds a 52-point lead over McLaren rival Lando Norris but the young Brit has the fastest car on the grid and put in a statement performance during the Singapore Grand Prix.

Red Bull also lost their lead in the Constructors’ Championship going into the race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit and Oscar Piastri’s podium finish only helped extend their advantage.

The problem for Red Bull is Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez simply can’t match his performances right now.

The car is very difficult to drive but while the Dutchman can find ways to navigate those issues, Perez has floundered.

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Speaking to Channel 4 after the race, Christian Horner at least found one positive in Perez’s weekend.

His elimination in Q2 on Saturday meant that any attempt Verstappen was going to make to win the race needed to come early and had to be executed perfectly.

Helmut Marko pointed out Norris’s issues with his race starts but once he got through the first corner in the lead and unscathed, he had very little trouble pulling out a gap.

Perez, meanwhile, had to navigate the treacherous midfield and despite being overtaken by Franco Colapinto going into the first corner, did at least recover to score what could be a crucial point for Red Bull when he crossed the finish line.

Christian Horner lauds ‘hugely important’ Sergio Perez moment during the Singapore Grand Prix

Channel 4 co-host David Coulthard mentioned to Horner that Perez seemed to be held up in the midfield after a difficult qualifying session and asked him about his feedback, to which the Red Bull team principal replied: “Well, he had a good first lap.

“He got his elbows out, made a couple of decent passes, but then he just got stuck.

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“He struggled with traction; he couldn’t get off the corners where he needed to get into an overtaking position so that was frustrating for him.

“He got a point out of it; they’re all going to add up at the end of the year, so that’s hugely important.”

David Coulthard worried about Sergio Perez’s Formula 1 future

A single point at this stage seems unlikely to make a difference in the Constructors’ Championship considering the lead McLaren have created.

However, Ferrari are closing in too and that battle could go down to the wire.

Red Bull are set to make a change to their sister team line-up before the next race in Austin.

Daniel Ricciardo looks set to make way for Liam Lawson with the young Kiwi likely to take part in the final six race weekends.

Coulthard has admitted Perez could follow Ricciardo out of F1 if he’s not careful given his struggles this season.

If Red Bull want to be competitive going forward, they need a pair of drivers – like McLaren and Ferrari have – that are capable of winning races on their day.

Perez showed signs of that in Baku, but far too often this season he’s been well off the pace compared to his teammate which will be giving Horner some serious headaches.