"The last five have been nowhere": Christian Horner's stark admission of Sergio Perez's dismal form at Red Bull

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has expressed concerns regarding Sergio Perez's recent slump, stating that the 34-year-old has been "nowhere" in the last five races. This comes despite the fact that the Mexican driver recently signed a contract extension with the Austrian team that would see him racing with them until the end of next year, with an option to further extend until 2026.

Perez's performances in the last couple of races have raised questions regarding the reigning world champions giving him a new deal alongside Max Verstappen. He has been unable to help the three-time world champion against the challenge of the two McLarens, the two Mercedes, and the two Ferraris ever since Miami.

Speaking with Sky Sports in Silverstone, Horner addressed the drop-in form from Sergio Perez. Here's what he said:

"Obviously, Sergio has had a tough spell. His first five races were very competitive. The last five have been nowhere, and we want to see Sergio from the first five back."

"He knows that he's aware of that, he's been working hard in the sim this week, working hard to understand where it's just not playing out for him. But what we've constantly seen with him is this resilience to be able to bounce back. We're hoping to see that very soon."

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Red Bull team boss gives the reason behind Sergio Perez's contract extension

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believes that offering Perez a one-year contract extension will settle him early in the season and improve his on-track performance.

As quoted by the aforementioned source, Horner said that the Mexican was aware that he was being 'measured' against Max Verstappen:

"We thought the contract would help. I think it's something that Checo is working very hard on, and he knows this is a sport where there's no hiding. Particularly with Max Verstappen as your team-mate."

"He knows he's being measured against the very best, and we need him up there supporting Max, because there's two McLarens now, there's two Ferraris, there's two Mercedes and we need there to be desperately two Red Bulls,” Horner added.

Despite holding a commanding 64-point lead over Ferrari in the Constructors' Championship with 355 points, Red Bull's dominance seems to be waning. The field has gotten closer in the last couple of races, with McLaren, Mercedes, and Ferrari all registering wins.

Sergio Perez, on his part, has been falling in the Driver's Championships as he sits in P5 with 118 points after 11 races and three Sprints this year. Oscar Piastri and George Russell are currently snapping at his heels with 112 and 111 points, respectively, and have finished ahead of him in the last couple of races.