Karun Chandhok admits F1 team ‘need’ bewildering driver to step up at Spanish GP

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Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok has admitted that one team now ‘need’ their driver to step up at the Spanish Grand Prix after his bewildering recent loss of form.

The pinnacle of motorsport has descended on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this week for round 10 of the season. But Chandhok fears one driver could ‘easily’ endure another Q2 exit ‘again’ at the Spanish GP. It would cap a woeful run of results from the past three races.

Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes each enjoyed strong results in the Emilia Romagna GP, the Monaco GP and the Canadian GP. Max Verstappen just edged Lando Norris to win at Imola, Charles Leclerc won in Monte Carlo and George Russell joined their fight in Montreal.

Karun Chandhok ‘doesn’t know’ how Sergio Perez has lost his form ‘again’

But Red Bull have been fighting with one arm behind their back after watching Sergio Perez fall away. The team from Milton Keynes confirmed that they had extended the 34-year-old’s contract through 2026 after the Monaco GP. But he has not been delivering in recent races.

Perez started his season with three P2 finishes, one P3 and a P5 over the opening five races, plus another P3 in the F1 Sprint at the Chinese GP. Yet his only rostrum result since was with another Sprint P3 at the Miami GP. The Mexican has also crashed in the past two Grand Prix.

READ MORE: Five unforgettable Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona including Senna vs Mansell

Chandhok is at a loss to understand why Perez has lost form after the opening rounds in yet another season. He also opened the 2023 campaign with two wins, a Sprint win and two P2s in the first five races. But his title bid vanished after crashing in qualifying at the Monaco GP.

“I don’t know what’s happened here,” Chandhok said on Sky Sports F1 (21/6, 16:23). “Again like last year, the first six weekends he got in the top-four in four. Then he’s qualified 11th, 16th and 16th for the last three. I don’t know how he stops that slide.

“I’ll tell you what, we’ve talked so much about the competition getting closer to Red Bull, they need Perez. They need Perez to be in those first two rows of the grid. Otherwise, he could quite easily find himself, again, out in Q2.”

Sergio Perez will serve a three-place grid penalty at the Spanish GP

With Norris also winning the Miami GP, Red Bull have watched McLaren record more points (116) than any other team in the past four rounds ahead of their 106 and the 101 of Ferrari. Perez took P4 in the Miami GP, before taking P8 at Imola and crashing in the past two races.

Red Bull will want Perez to respond at the Spanish GP, especially in qualifying as the Mexican left himself in the danger zone at the Monaco GP by bowing out in Q1 with the 18th fastest lap. He adopted P16 as both Haas cars were disqualified but crashed with Kevin Magnussen.

READ MORE: The most successful drivers at the F1 Spanish GP of all time and in Barcelona

Another early exit followed at the Canadian GP as Perez bowed out in P16 before crashing again in the race. The Mexican’s moment in Montreal was also all his own doing with a spin at Turn 6. Returning to the pit lane with a damaged rear wing will also carry a price in Spain.

Perez will serve a three-place grid penalty from wherever he qualifies for the Spanish GP as Red Bull urged him against stopping on the circuit during the Canadian GP, despite his rear wing deteriorating. It might leave Red Bull fighting one-armed once again with Verstappen.