"Well, that’s not pressure off": F1 pundit feels Sergio Perez will be under even more pressure now contrary to Red Bull claims 

F1 pundit Natalie Pinkham disagrees with Christian Horner's claim that the pressure will be off Sergio Perez now that the deficit between him and Max Verstappen is an almost unsurmountable 53 points.

The Mexican driver had started the season on a positive note, winning two of the season's first four races. As a result, the gap between the two drivers at the top of the drivers' standings was in single digits.

However, from Miami onwards, the momentum has flipped completely. Max Verstappen has won all three races comfortably and left Sergio Perez behind. To make matters worse, Perez had disastrous outings in Monaco and Spain, which exacerbated the situation.

After the race in Barcelona where Sergio Perez's recovery drive saw him finish P4 after a P11 start, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner defended the Mexican driver. Horner said that because of the "big split" in points (53) between the two drivers, Perez will have "nothing to lose" and can drive freely.

However, Natalie Pinkham doesn't agree with Horner's assertion as she feels that the pressure on Perez will only increase. She said on the F1 Nation podcast:

“The pressure may be off only in the sense that, 'Oh, well, I’m out of this world championship.' Well, that’s not pressure off. That’s massive despondency, that is sucking the wind out of his sails."

Pinkham added:

“I think that makes the pressure ramp up in a different way. Because he has to prove that he’s worthy of the seat, albeit a second seat within Max’s team. I think it’s a very different feeling for him now, and it’s one that he will not be enjoying.”

Sergio Perez has underperformed this season according to Tom Clarkson

Talking about Sergio Perez, F1 Nation podcast host Tom Clarkson stated that the Red Bull driver has underperformed this season.

Perez needed to make serious improvements in his performances, especially with drivers like McLaren's Lando Norris having been courted multiple times by Red Bull. He said:

“I think Perez has underperformed and I think you only get to the top in elite sport, any sport but especially Formula 1, where you have to be competitive with yourself. It’s all about achieving at the highest level and Perez has been left wanting and that, as you say, creates pressure, especially when you have drivers like Lando Norris, who have flirted with Red Bull in the past."

Sergio Perez will be desperate for a strong result at the 2023 F1 Canadian GP because the gap to Verstappen has increased exponentially in the last few races.