Rival F1 team boss takes shot at Perez performances in title fight

McLaren F1 chief Zak Brown has called out Red Bull driver as a weak spot for the Milton Keynes team.

Red Bull are leading both championships courtesy of stellar driving early on in the season from Max Verstappen, the Dutchman claiming four out of first five races as Red Bull asserted early dominance.

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Red Bull have 408 points after 14 races but have been reminded in no uncertain terms that they can't rest at their laurels, with McLaren snapping at their heels. The papaya team have been chipping away at that lead of late, with both of their drivers regularly picking up podium finishes and wins.

On the other hand, Verstappen seems to be the lone warrior for Red Bull. Perez has just managed to score 28 points in last eight races, and his negligible contributions have increased the pressure on his team as they risk losing the constructors’ title lead to McLaren.

McLaren to overtake Red Bull in constructors' title race?

Perez's performances have been so damaging to the team's constructors' hopes that rumours of a summer sacking popped up within weeks of him signing a new two-year contract in June.

McLaren chief Brown told the BBC that he believes a title fight with Red Bull will come down to Perez – adding that as things stand, the Mexican isn't doing enough to stop his pair of young drivers.

"It's going to be tough," he said. "I think it's going to come down to the last race. There's not much between the cars. It's gonna come down to how does Sergio Perez perform?

"If he can perform as he's capable of performing, it's going to be a hard fight. If he continues to perform as he has this year, we have a pretty good chance, because we have two drivers constantly performing at the front."

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