Horner Downplays Lawson’s Red Bull Test Amid Rising Pressure on Perez’s F1 Future

Christian Horner downplays Liam Lawson's Red Bull 'tryout' as scrutiny on Sergio Perez increases.

Red Bull Formula 1 team leader Christian Horner has downplayed the importance of Liam Lawson's forthcoming trial with the squad amidst rumors about Sergio Perez's career prospects.

During the British Grand Prix weekend, rumors surfaced indicating that Perez might face replacement unless there's a notable improvement in his performance.

The racer from Mexico has accumulated only 15 points across the past six events, a concerning decline in performance that might result in him falling to the eighth position in the drivers' standings due to Mercedes' comeback.

By a stroke of luck, Red Bull's young talent Lawson is set to take the RB20 for a spin at Silverstone during a marketing event.

After Sunday's race, Horner informed the press at Silverstone, with Crash.net on site in the paddock, that Lawson's trial run had been scheduled several weeks prior.

Horner mentioned, "The issue arises when you overanalyze these situations. Interestingly enough, I'll also be taking a spin around Silverstone in the RB8 this Thursday. So, anything's possible!"

"Truly, the aero run named the Liam test has been in the planning stages for several months."

Perez experienced yet another disappointing competition at the British Grand Prix, being overtaken twice.

He was eliminated in the first qualifying round following a spin at Copse, as his premature transition to intermediate tires proved unsuccessful.

"Absolutely, Checo is feeling the pressure," Horner continued. "That's a given in Formula 1. And when performance falls short, the pressure inevitably intensifies. He's conscious of this, he understands it.

This weekend, things simply didn't pan out for him. In the race, we decided to take a risk. He kicked off with the hard tire and initially, he was actually making good headway. Then, as the rain began to set in, he was around 15th or 16th place, which is when you sometimes decide to take a chance, just like they did with Leclerc.

"He switched to intermediate tires. Had the rainfall intensified, he would have appeared as a hero. However, it didn't. Consequently, he didn't. Following that, he made an additional pit stop, and the time lost by using intermediate tires on a drying track cost him dearly. So, indeed, there's quite a bit to analyze from the weekend's events."

Perez's inconsistent performance puts Red Bull's prospects of clinching this year's constructors' championship at risk.

Red Bull currently leads the standings by a significant 71-point margin, with McLaren expected to emerge as their closest competitor in the latter part of the season, especially given Ferrari's recent struggles.

Horner acknowledged that Perez's performance level is not maintainable.

"He's aware that failing to score points isn't a viable strategy," he further stated. "It's essential for us to accumulate points with that car, and he's cognizant of this fact."

"He is fully aware of his responsibilities and objectives. There's no one more determined than Checo to return and regain his top performance."

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