Red Bull Racing CEO and team principal Christian Horner warned Sergio Perez sternly in response to the Driver's continued poor performance and results.

The team anticipates a heightened level of competition next year, particularly with the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, as well as the line-up of Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell and Scuderia Ferrari with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr.

Horner noted that they cannot afford for Perez to lag so far behind Max Verstappen in terms of performance.

"We really need Checo to get into that window because it's not this year so much, but certainly next year, we need him to be firing on all cylinders," the 49-year-old executive said.

Hamilton is steadily closing the gap on Sergio Perez's second place in the Driver's standings, trailing by 30 points with five races remaining in the season.

Sergio Perez's recent form

The Mexican's crash during the Qatar Grand Prix Sprint Race handed his teammate Verstappen his third world championship. In the actual race last Sunday, October 8, Perez could only manage a 10th-place finish.

The 33-year-old also retired from the Japanese Grand Prix held at the end of last month due to a collision, and he finished P8 the week prior in the Singapore Grand Prix.

With his recent form, Perez has only picked up 5 points in his last three races. In contrast, Verstappen scored 62 points in the same span.