Red Bull trusts Pérez: 'I think it's coming together for him'

Red Bull Racing are aware that Sergio Pérez needs to perform better this season to really compete with Mercedes. Max Verstappen already commented on this after the race in Spain and Christian Horner also thinks that Pérez needs to drive better than what he is showing so far.

The Dutch driver was in the lead for much of Sunday afternoon's race, but was unable to hold on to it due to strategy. Hamilton was able to go faster on his set of tyres and closed the gap on Verstappen. Pérez was outside the top five for a long time and therefore could not play a part in the battle. "I think it's coming together for him. He had an off day," Horner stated to Motorsport.com.

Horner knows Red Bull needs Pérez. "So that Mercedes don't have the strategic options that they had. I'm convinced that that will come for Checo as he finds more confidence and time in the car." The Red Bull team boss drew a comparison with the 2019 Hungarian GP, when something similar happened between Verstappen and Pierre Gasly.

"The facts are very clear that obviously the two lead guys were so far ahead of the rest of the pack as it were, that Lewis had a free stop as he had in Hungary. He only had to get past his teammate, and that was never going to be an issue. So that's why we need both cars up there strategically, so that option isn't available to Mercedes."

World Championship standings

Hamilton's victory ensured that the Englishman continues to lead the World Championship with a 14-point advantage. Where Hamilton is on 94 points, Verstappen follows with 80 points. Number three Valtteri Bottas has 33 points less.