After a disappointing qualifying, Perez was unable to factor in the fᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚight for the podium at the Spanish Grand Prix as he recovered to fifth place, while teammate Max Verstappen battled Lewis Hamilton’s🌸 Mercedes for the win. 

Verstappen was able to lead 🍷much of the race after muscling his way past Hamilton into Turn 1 but was left vulnerable to a two-pronged attack from Mercedes with Bottas running close behind Hamilton in third. 

That enabled Merc💎edes t🌸o pull off a bold strategic gamble that ultimately proved decisive in Hamilton’s charge to victory and left Verstappen having to settle for second place. 

Horner admitted after the Barcelona race that Red Bull is relying on Perez to apply more pressure to Mercedes so it can avoid losing out strategically t🍌o the reigning world champi🍰ons. 

“I think📖 it's coming together for him,” Horner said on Sunday. 

“He had an off day [on Saturday] and he was co꧋mpromise🌄d in the race behind Daniel [Ricciardo].

“Obviously then he didn't manage to make headway at a track that’s so diℱfficult to pass [at]. 

“Of course we despe🥀rately need him to be in that gap, so that Mercedes don't have the strategic options that they had today. 

“But I'm convinced that that will come for Checo as he finds more confide🌞nce, and time in the car.”

Perez conceded that he is still struggling to get up to speed in t𝄹he RB16B and is left ending every week🐠end wishing it had only just started due to limited track time. 

“It’s important to keep making those steps and put the whole weekend together,” the Mexican explained. “It just takes me a bit too long to get up to speed when we go t🍌o a new circuit.

“You se🌜e that things are coming, but not together. But I think once we are able to put them together we have the pace to be able to ⛎go pretty quick.”

“I’m getting more confꦓident with the car. Every time I get to the end of the weekend, I wish the weekend just start now because with how limited track time is it is very hard to get up to speed.”