Jenson Button rejects one excuse for Sergio Perez after latest Red Bull woe at Qatar Grand Prix

Sergio Perez is in desperate need of a result at the Qatar Grand Prix, but he suffered another setback in Sprint qualifying.

The Mexican is enduring his worst season with the Milton Keynes-based outfit since he joined the team in 2021. Perez sits eighth in the standings having not finished on the podium since the Chinese Grand Prix.

The 34-year-old has had a torrid last six races, having only finished above 10th once as he struggles to even beat Red Bull’s junior team RB.

And it seems that Red Bull are not looking to take the pressure off the Mexican either. Christian Horner has set Perez a target of finishing higher up the order to aid the team’s bid to win the Constructors’ Championship.

Jenson Button says there ‘wasn’t anything wrong’ with Sergio Perez’z Sprint qualifying lap

But Perez’s miserable season has continued at the Qatar Grand Prix, as he was eliminated from the first part of qualifying and will line up 16th for Saturday’s Sprint race.

Liam Lawson, who is being heavily linked with a promotion to Red Bull in place of Perez got through to SQ2, which will do Perez no favours as he faces pressure to keep his seat.

Speaking on Sky Sports F1 after SQ1, David Croft made the suggestion that the Red Bull driver was not helped by the space available to him on the track, questioning whether Esteban Ocon started his lap too early.

But Jenson Button was quick to point out that there ‘wasn’t anything wrong’ with Perez’s lap and that his pace just wasn’t there to get into SQ2.

“Yeah, but Perez, there wasn’t anything wrong with his timing. The lap just wasn’t there,” he said.

Sergio Perez will be under even more pressure to stay at Red Bull

This latest disaster for Perez will only add more fuel to the fire that the Mexican could be out of the team come the end of the season.

Eddie Jordan says he would have sacked Perez if he was driving for his team, and it seems that Red Bull are considering doing exactly that as they assess their options for 2025.

Lawson is said to be the favourite to replace the Mexican next season, but his teammate Yuki Tsunoda will also be an option given his experience with RB.

Franco Colapinto is attracting interest from Red Bull with his impressive performances with Williams, but his future solely depends on whether Perez is sacked, as if he is not, Lawson is certain to get the second RB seat alongside Tsunoda.