23 June 2023 , 07:27
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Sergio Perez has admitted he is concerned about a recent drop-off, amid questions over his Red Bull future.
Mexican driver Perez won two races in the 2022 season and matched that tally just four weeks into the 2023 season. Since winning in Azerbaijan, however, he has experienced a decline in performance to allow Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen to run away with the Drivers' Championship lead.
Speculation continues to mount over Perez's Red Bull future, with a number of names mentioned as potential replacements. After a sixth-place finish in Canada allowed Verstappen to extend his lead, the under-threat 33-year-old laid bare his feelings on his recent struggles.
“Yeah, I’m very, very concerned about [the lack of pace]," Perez told reporters after the Canadian Grand Prix. “We just didn’t have the pace and we don’t understand why, that’s the weird thing, so we have to figure it out.
“We’re going to sit down and look back because we know what we are capable of and it’s just important for us to understand what’s going on. We had a good start to the weekend, but we made some changes, we did the tyres a little bit different, so I don’t know if there’s anything in that.”
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Qualifying was tough for Perez, who started the race down in 12th. He made up some ground on those in front of him, recording the fastest lap at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, but there was still a significant gap to the Ferraris in fourth and fifth when he crossed the finish line.
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Sergio Perez finished off the pace in Canada (AP)
Perez remains second in the drivers' championship despite his recent struggles. He is some 69 points behind team-mate Verstappen, though, with third-placed Fernando Alonso closing the gap.
"It doesn't help that his team-mate Max Verstappen is continuing to grow the lead to hand him the championship," Formula E driver Oliver Askew told the BBC's Chequered Flag podcast. "It was just a couple of weeks ago where [Perez] felt like he was able to take the fight to Max and now he's within fighting distance of Fernando Alonso, so it's very difficult."
Perez's next challenge comes in the Austrian Grand Prix on July 2 as he looks to revive his season. He retired from the 2022 race after collision damage, losing second place in the overall standings as a result, and will hope history doesn't repeat itself this time around.