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Sergio Perez qualified a lowly 12th position at the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix on Saturday, June 17. He has now failed to reach Q3 at the last three races, which includes a Q1 crash in Monaco, and Q2 exits in Spain and Montreal.
Despite qualifying P11 in Barcelona, he managed to finish P4 on race day and will be hoping to repeat that feat, if not do better, on Sunday, June 18. Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner also remains optimistic about the Mexican's chances at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
“However, unlike Monaco, this is a track that you can overtake at, the forecast is saying it’ll be a dry race, he’s a great racer and he’s got a fast car, so I’d be disappointed if we weren’t much further up the order tomorrow,” he said after qualifying in Montreal.
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Fans, however, have been left unimpressed with Perez failing to deliver on his early promise and took to social media to express their thoughts.
One fan stated that Red Bull had once demoted Pierre Gasly to Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) despite registering better results than the Mexican has currently.
"Pierre Gasly got fired for qualifying P6 and P7 in the third fastest car how is Checo getting away with this," a tweet read.
Another fan sarcastically said that Perez could never challenge Verstappen like Nico Rosberg managed to do while being Lewis Hamilton's teammate.
"And people thought we'd have a repeat of Hamilton Rosberg this year," a fan opined.
One user predicted that Perez will get fired by Red Bull following season for underachieving on the track.
"I LOVE CHECOOOO! But he really has been terrible this season. They’re for sure going to fire him," said one comment.
Here are a few more fan reactions:
"I know what I must do" - Sergio Perez vowed to get back into form before Canadian GP
Ahead of the Canadian GP, Sergio Perez stated that he was looking to be more consistent with his performances and close down Max Verstappen's lead in the Drivers' Championship.
After starting the season strong, with wins in Jeddah and Baku, he has failed to deliver. Verstappen, meanwhile, has been in scintillating form. He has managed to increase the gap between him and Perez from single digits to a mammoth 53 points.
Perez, however, has vowed to be more consistent with his driving, starting with the Canadian GP.
"I have been in Milton Keynes since the Spanish GP, working hard with my team and we have put in a lot of good work and had some very constructive conversations. I know what I must do to get back to the form I am capable of and as a team, we know how to get the car into a window where I will perform best," he said. (via RacingNews365)
"Getting through moments like this, it’s more important than ever to work as a team and we will all support each other to push for the win in Canada. I have a fantastic car and it’s always exciting to get behind the wheel, I must be massively consistent in Montreal and have a complete weekend," he added.
