Sergio Perez recognised he had a ‘massive job’ on his hands after the under-pressure Red Bull driver crashed in qualifying for the second race in a row at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday.
The Mexican has taken just 15 points from the last six races and his future as team mate to Formula One’s triple world champion Max Verstappen, who has won seven of 12 races so far, is being increasingly questioned.
Red Bull are concerned about their constructors’ title defence being weakened at a time when McLaren are emerging as a threat, and there has been speculation that Perez could be replaced after the August break.
“It hurts to let your whole team down, but at the end of the day I’m determined more than ever to get back where we belong as a team,” he told Sky Sports television.
“Unfortunately it’s just one after the other. I’m conscious of that and it’s something we need to change quickly.”
The session was halted after the Mexican lost control on a kerb, following a light scattering of rain, at turn eight and spun backwards into the barriers, with the medical car immediately deployed.
He stepped out of the car, seemingly unhurt.
Perez also crashed in the first phase of qualifying at the previous round in Britain on July 6, starting the race at Silverstone from the pitlane and finishing 17th.
The Hungaroring is a relatively slow circuit with limited overtaking opportunities.
“It’s a massive job tomorrow. There’s a long race ahead of us, so I think I just have to shut the external noise down and focus on the job,” said Perez.
“Yesterday was the best Friday of the season, so we are definitely making progress. Our time will come.”
Team boss Christian Horner revealed on Friday that he had invited Perez to a meeting at his home post-Silverstone to discuss the situation.
“We have a really open relationship and I sat down with him in the kitchen of my house and said, ‘come on, what’s going on? Is there something else?’” Horner told Sky Sports television.
“And he was like, ‘No, I think I’m just overthinking things a bit too much.’
“I think almost ignoring what’s going on on the other side of the garage will do him a favour, which is the approach that he’s taking now — just focusing on his own performance.”
Perez is set to start 16th and ahead of Mercedes’s George Russell who qualified 17th with the Briton caught out on an improving track.
