Horner increases pressure on Perez: 'That's normal in Formula 1'
F1 News
- Ludo van Denderen
Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing's team principal, did not spare his words on Sunday after the British Grand Prix: Of course Sergio Perez is under pressure. Yet dropping the Mexican is not something Red Bull Racing intend to do. Not yet at least, but in the wings Liam Lawson is warming up more and more. The New Zealander may even test an F1 car not once, but twice. A harbinger of a driver change?
It was already known that Lawson would be testing a '22 AlphaTauri car at Imola. This test was unveiled by Daniel Ricciardo a week ago, after which the Australian received questions from Visa Cash App RB as to whether this would jeopardise his seat. The test at the Italian circuit is likely to take place at the end of this month. Meanwhile, it is also clear that Lawson will already be in action this week on behalf of Red Bull Racing. He will be in action for the Austrian team with the RB20 during a so-called filming day.
Horner acknowledges Perez is under pressure
No doubt Red Bull's management is keeping a close eye on Lawson's performance these days, as Sergio Perez has been underperforming for weeks. It is possible Lawson may even manage to earn himself the Mexican's spot at Red Bull. "The Liam test aero run has been planned for a couple of months now," Horner commented talking to GPblog and others. "Checo, he's under pressure. That's normal in Formula 1. And when you're under-delivering that pressure only mounts. And he's aware of that. He knows that. And this weekend, nothing's really gone his way."
Horner also reveals that "a gamble" was taken with Perez's strategy on Sunday, the moment the rain started to fall at Silverstone. "He went on to the inter. If the rain had picked up, he'd have looked like a hero. It didn't. So you don't and then he had an extra stop and the time loss of being on an inter on a drying track was hemorrhaging a lot of time for him."