"That's been his Achilles heel": Red Bull boss Christian Horner pinpoints one area where Sergio Perez needs to improve

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has identified one area Sergio Perez could improve for the 2024 F1 season.

Despite finishing second in the drivers' championship, the Mexican went through several issues during the recently concluded season. While Horner has appreciated Perez throughout the season, he would love it if the latter improved even more.

On the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Horner stated that Perez's New Year's resolution could be to improve his qualifying pace. He feels that the 33-year-old's race pace is good enough and that he only needs to improve on qualifying to race nearer to the front and closer to his teammate Max Verstappen.

"I think his biggest resolution would be to sort his qualifying out. I mean, that's been his Achilles heel at certain points this year. And I think that if he can do that, then his race pace is always strong, and he races very well. So yeah, we need him qualifying nearer the front, nearer to Max, and putting more pressure on," Horner said.

Horner added that Perez has climbed one championship position each year since joining Red Bull and that the last step for the Mexican is to win his maiden world championship.

"We can't afford for him to go missing at certain points of the championship and have that consistency. He finished second this year, third last year, and fourth the year before, so he's on the right trajectory," Horner added.

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Sergio Perez determined to fight Max Verstappen for the 2024 F1 world championship

Sergio Perez started the 2023 F1 season with a bang as he was quite close to Max Verstappen in the title run. Unfortunately, he found himself in a slump mid-season, while his teammate kept winning races, thus ruining the Mexican's chances of winning his first world championship.

However, Perez still has fire in his belly and is ready to work harder next year. He stated that he has already secured second place and that his main goal now is to take a step forward to fight for the top spot.

"I've already got second place [in the standings]. My main goal is to get one place better, and I'm aware of the challenge that that represents. We need to make the most of the winter break to start the season with a good feeling, and maintain this level throughout the entire season," he told Motorsport-Total.

Sergio Perez ended the 2023 season with only 285 points, while Max Verstappen racked up a whopping 575 points.