Sergio Perez jokes Max Verstappen ‘not focused’ as Red Bull relief theory addressed

Claiming people had cited a lack of focus for his poor form, Sergio Perez joked maybe Max Verstappen was not focused either when asked about his recent struggles.

Perez has faced a barrage of speculation over his Red Bull and Formula 1 future across the F1 2024 campaign, the Mexican racer looking to ensure his F1 2025 place in the team with Liam Lawson getting the chance to come in at junior squad VCARB and try to make an impression with six rounds to go.

Sergio Perez uses criticism for sarcastic Max Verstappen joke

Speaking to media ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, Perez was asked what has changed for him after a much-improved showing in Baku, where he was contending for the podium until a late collision with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.

Having heard from critics that he was lacking focus, that formed the basis for his response.

“I was focused. I wasn’t distracted,” he said.

“I wasn’t thinking on other stuff out of racing. It’s what people say basically, you know, that when I was not doing well, that I was not focused, I was thinking too much on other stuff.

“So maybe that was the improvement.”

While team-mate Verstappen had continued his race-winning ways through Perez’s slump, the reigning three-time World Champion has also hit tougher times, winless in his last eight races and complaining of balance issues with the RB20.

Asked if there is a sense of relief to see Verstappen struggling lately too, Perez was not letting that focus criticism go.

“Maybe he’s also not focused or something on the racing,” Perez joked.

“Anyway, you know I went through it all. I think it’s clear we have a problem at the moment, and we just have to focus on it, try to get the most out of it.”

Perez said the step Red Bull made in Baku was “really positive”, and Verstappen was able to finish runner-up to a dominant Lando Norris in Singapore, that a major gain for Red Bull compared to their struggles at the Marina Bay Circuit a year ago where Verstappen managed P5 only in what was Red Bull’s sole F1 2023 defeat.

“Also there could be a lot more in the pipeline,” Perez added.

And Red Bull could use such a shot of momentum as they bid to reclaim the Constructors’ Championship lead from McLaren, the Woking squad having created a 41-point gap out front.

It is a battle which Perez does not believe Red Bull are out of yet.

Asked if the Constructors’ title is still on, he replied: “Yeah, absolutely.”

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez head-to-head in F1 2024

👉 F1 2024: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates

👉 F1 2024: Head-to-head qualifying record between team-mates

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner is confident that they have been piecing together a clear understanding of the RB20’s issues since September’s Italian GP, with an upgrade now on the way for the upcoming United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas.

Quizzed on his hopes for Red Bull’s COTA upgrade during the F1 Nation podcast , Horner said: “I think all the teams, it’s a natural point in time in the year that all teams will bring something to Austin.

“We’re hearing Ferrari have got something sizable. I think Mercedes, McLaren, they’ll all be bringing something.

“Now, I think what we’re looking to do is to build on the understanding that we’ve started to really get a clear picture on since Monza, and take a car there that’s well balanced between both of its axles. It inspires the confidence of the driver.

“It’s a very different challenge there. That first sector is very high speed. They’ve resurfaced part of the circuit as well, so there’s another variable that’s thrown in. It’s a sprint weekend, so you’ve got to hit the ground running. So, you’ve got to take into account all of those elements.

“But the whole team has been working incredibly hard on understanding the issues, addressing them, and getting hopefully remedies on the car for Austin.”

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