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Jenson Button, a former Formula 1 driver and current commentator, has raised serious concerns about Sergio Perez’s performance at Red Bull Racing, suggesting that the team’s patience may be wearing thin. Following a disastrous outing at the British Grand Prix, where Perez failed to score points and finished a lowly 17th, Button emphasized the need for immediate action if the Mexican does not show significant improvement at the upcoming race in Hungary.
Perez recently renewed his contract with Red Bull, but his season has been marked by consistent struggles to adapt to the RB20, especially compared to his teammate Max Verstappen. With Red Bull’s car no longer the outright fastest on every circuit, Perez’s difficulties have been glaring, particularly in races where he has failed to consistently score points.
“It’s a big problem,” Button said in an interview with Sky Sports. “He had a terrible weekend. In some ways, he was also unlucky—this doesn’t happen every race weekend, but for McLaren to take away so many points from them is a major issue.”
Button argues that Perez needs to at least score some points, even if he’s not directly behind Verstappen. He expressed concern about Red Bull’s championship situation, emphasizing the importance of every point in the title fight. “They can’t let this go on forever. If in the next race he fails to score points again, they have to quickly take him out of the car and put someone else in. It’s tough; I know it’s not a pleasant feeling for a driver; it’s terrible, but for them, the championship is important.”
At the British Grand Prix, Perez faced a series of setbacks, starting with an error in Q1 that sent him off track and resulted in a 17th-place finish in the race. Red Bull’s decision to change his engine before the start did not improve his fortunes, leaving him two laps behind the leaders.
With the season approaching its halfway mark and competition intensifying, the pressure on Perez and Red Bull to address these issues only grows. Button, known for his candor and experience in the sport, highlights the urgent need for improvements so that Red Bull can maintain their hopes of challenging for both the constructors’ and drivers’ championships against teams like Mercedes and McLaren.
The upcoming race in Hungary becomes pivotal for Perez and Red Bull, where he will have the opportunity to show that he can turn his fortunes around and contribute significantly to the team’s aspirations in the Formula 1 championship.