Perez regains form at crucial moment: "We need him at this time of year"

Sergio Perez has had a shaky debut season at Red Bull Racing, though not always by his own admission. In the last few races, the Mexican has made visible progress, scoring two podiums in a row. Team principal Christian Horner believes there is a clear reason for this.

Perez would have been very close to achieving his first pole position in Austin. "I think it's confidence," explained Horner to Motorsport.com On the reason behind his driver's progress. "It's been coming for the last few races. Monza he was strong, Sochi he was strong, he should have been on the podium at both of those races."

Perez progress comes at crucial time

"He had a strong Istanbul, and he has been on the pace all the way through this weekend. So I think it's just confidence," continued the Briton, who also sees that timing is key. "We need him delivering at this time of year."

Perez struggled to find the right set-up during the season, partly because Max Verstappen's set-up was not working for him. "I think we're managing to find a set-up that works for him," Horner continued. "There are some important races coming up, so we need doing what he did here."