Christian Horner has launched a staunch defence of Pink Bull’s determination to retain Sergio Perez for the rest of the 2024 season – insisting the group has “the 2 greatest drivers” for the present automotive.

With team-mate Max Verstappen main the drivers’ championship and regardless of Horner admitting Perez has been caught in a “spiral” amid latest struggles, the group caught by the Mexican and threw its help behind him through the summer season break.

Perez was set for 2 key races in Hungary and Belgium to indicate indicators of his previous self, however one other qualifying crash in Budapest undid what regarded like a extra promising weekend and relegated him to combating in one other comeback race from sixteenth to seventh.

In a moist qualifying at Spa, Perez did properly to qualify third, which grew to become second on the grid after a grid penalty for Verstappen. However Perez was one of many drivers handed by the Dutchman on his solution to take fifth and was relegated to a disappointing eighth on the end.

On the Dutch Grand Prix, the place Perez is again in motion for the primary time for the reason that determination was taken to not change him, Horner provided an impassioned rationalization for sticking with the beleaguered driver.

When requested by Sky Sports activities why Perez had been given extra time, Horner replied: “Who would you modify it for? Why would you modify it?

“Look, I believe that we all know what Checo is able to. We all know that originally of the 12 months, he was scoring, what, 4 podiums in 5 races. And if we are able to get him again into… I believe he is simply had a insecurity and has ended up in a little bit of a spiral.

“We have got the most effective two drivers we consider on this automotive, so now we have all the info from the entire drivers. So, now we have that data, and if we felt that there was one thing higher, we might have modified it by now.

“We consider that what now we have is able to defending the championship. It completed first and second in final 12 months’s championship. It completed first and third within the 12 months earlier than. And clearly received in 21 as properly.”

Perez as soon as once more struggled for tempo at Zandvoort, ending down in twelfth throughout a rain-affected FP1 and remaining there after FP2, the place he additionally had a few journeys throughout the gravel.

Horner, although, feels there’s a run of races after the Netherlands the place Perez can have the most effective probability of discovering his type.

“I believe he is had a little bit of a reset,” he defined. “Hopefully over the summer season break, we all know that there is tracks that he is received at popping out, we have Azerbaijan, the place he is received each dash race and grand prix on the identical weekend.

“He is received one other incredible race in Singapore towards Charles Leclerc in combined situations. He is been very fast at Monza.

“Zandvoort hasn’t been his greatest circuit. So, of the 4 races arising earlier than the following mini break, I might say that is his most difficult one.”

The Mexican Grand Prix takes place on October 25, the place Perez will probably be cheered on by a partisan crowd in entrance of plenty of the Mexican sponsors his presence has introduced into Pink Bull.

Horner, although, stated retaining Perez had nothing to do with the actual fact the race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez was nonetheless to return.

Sergio Perez, Pink Bull Racing

Photograph by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Photographs

“No, no. It is all about efficiency,” he stated. “So, for us, we have the 2 drivers that we consider in our pool of drivers are probably the most able to giving us the most effective outcomes. If there was a doubt in that, then we might have modified it.

“It is a strain enterprise, and all of the drivers know they’re below strain to ship. And that is Components 1, that is up and down the grid. So Checo. We all know what he is able to.

“When he is performing, we all know what he is able to delivering. And we simply must get him again in that window, and we’re doing the most effective that we are able to to provide him the automotive that provides him that confidence.

“You are very fast to sentence Sergio. We’re attempting our hardest to provide him the prospect to rediscover that type. And he has to deal with all of the strain from the media, all of the social media that piles in on the again of that.

“He is a driver that is able to bouncing again, and we’re giving him our full help, and wish to see him reply.”

Having failed to interrupt into the highest 10 on a troublesome Friday, Horner will little question be demanding extra from Perez heading into the enterprise finish of the race weekend.