Admitting that the constructors' title is under threat, Christian Horner warns that "something that has to change" in terms of Sergio Perez' qualifying performances.

It wasn't that long ago that it looked as though Max Verstappen and Red Bull were heading for a repeat of 2023 with the opposition hardly getting a look in.

Though the Dutchman still has a 76 point lead in the Drivers' Championship, his team's lead over McLaren is down to just 51.

First came the threat from Ferrari, but then, in Miami, McLaren raised the stakes and then Mercedes.

Red Bull's last win was in Spain, however the last time Verstappen was joined on the podium by his teammate was China, as Perez' season has gradually unravelled.

On Sunday the Mexican drove a determined race that saw him finish seventh having started from 16th on the grid. However, that is where his problem lies, his constant failure to qualify higher up the grid, which not only makes his work on Sundays that much harder but also means that, up front, Verstappen has nobody watching his back. It is also the reason the team is haemorrhaging points.

"Starting on the hard, he dropped behind Russell, then as soon as he got a bit into clear air after that first pit stop, his pace was similar to the McLarens," said Christian Horner.

"So he's actually driven a good race," he added. "I think the strategy with Checo getting the undercut on George and pitting a bit earlier at that point actually worked really well for him.

"He had good pace, he made some good passes, and hopefully he'll have taken a lot of confidence out of that.

"That was probably his strongest race since China," added the Briton, "so he should take some confidence out of today's race."

However... the Red Bull boss quickly opined...

"If he'd have qualified more in position yesterday he'd have been in a much more competitive position," he admitted, adding that "something that has to change".

"(In the) Drivers' Championship, obviously Max has a good lead but that can diminish very quickly, so nothing can be taken for granted," said Horner. "The Constructors, 59 points or whatever it currently is (51 actually - Ed) can diminish very quickly.

"So we're acutely aware of that and determined to make sure that we start having bigger points-scoring weekends. We're also going to develop the fastest car we can, that's what we'll continue to do."