As he nears the end of a below-par season, Christian Horner reminded Sergio Perez that F1 is a “results-oriented business” but insisted Red Bull are doing all they can to help him recover.

It comes after Horner was spotted leaving Williams hospitality in Brazil, where Franco Colapinto qualified just one place behind Sergio Perez in Saturday’s Sprint.

F1 is a ‘results-oriented’ business and Sergio Perez’s is ‘below average’

Perez This season the Mexican driver has been the subject of many rumors as he has underperformed, leaving Red Bull vulnerable to McLaren and, more recently, Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship.

While Perez took his F1 podium finish to 15 races in Mexico, he collected just 150 points and finished a disappointing 17th in front of his home crowd. This is his lowest points ever with Red Bull.

mexican driver Unlikely to improve points in Brazilian Sprint He will sit 13th on the grid, just one place ahead of F1 2025 VCARB hopeful Franco Colapinto, but five places behind Liam Lawson, the driver who will decide Perez’s fate.

According to reports, if Lawson’s spectacular audition goes ahead, he will replace Perez at Red Bull next season, which would free up the VCARB seat for Colapinto. That is, of course, if Williams allows the Argentinian to leave.

Who was Horner? Spotted in Williams’ hospitality on FridayHe said Red Bull did its best to support Perez but his results were “below average”. The team even changed the 34-year-old’s chassis ahead of the Brazilian weekend.

Sergio Perez’s surprising deficit to Max Verstappen

F1 2024: Head-to-head qualifying record among teammates

F1 2024: Head-to-head race statistics between teammates

“We’re doing everything we can to help regain his confidence. “He’s had a terrible weekend in Mexico,” he told Sky F1.

“We changed his chassis this weekend, putting him on an older chassis to give him extra confidence.

“But Sergio is an experienced campaigner; has been around long enough to know that this is a results-oriented business.

“He knows that this season has been below average for him. No one is more aware of this than Sergio, but we are doing our best to support him.”

Sergio Perez challenges Red Bull rumors

However, Perez defiantly told the media during preparations for the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend that he would not be going anywhere.

Amid rumors that he could leave the car before the end of the season or at the end of the year at the latest, he insisted: “No, not at all. After all, these are just rumours.”

“There needs to be a little more professionalism in the media spreading such rumors.

“You’ll see me in Vegas, you’ll see me next year. “I’m not the one worried about that.”

However, after Helmut Marko said that Red Bull would decide on its 2025 driver line-up after Abu Dhabi, Perez put pressure on the possibility of taking the seat next year and said: “I know I am. That’s all I can say.”

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