Jenson Button: Sergio Perez's poor form a 'massive issue' for Red Bull

Perez, who joined Red Bull this season as Max Verstappen's teammate, has endured a challenging period marked by inconsistent performances.

In recent races, Perez has managed to secure points only twice out of the last five outings, a statistic that has raised concerns within the Red Bull camp.

His latest disappointment came at Silverstone, where he failed to progress beyond Q1 in qualifying and finished well outside the Top 10, even being lapped twice during the race.

These lacklustre results have not only affected Perez individually but also threaten Red Bull's standing in the constructors' championship.

With McLaren steadily emerging as a force to reckon with, boasting two competitive drivers capable of consistent points-scoring finishes, the pressure on Red Bull is mounting.

Speaking during Sky Sports' F1 coverage over the British Grand Prix weekend, Button highlighted Perez's struggles as a significant issue.

He pointed out that such inconsistent performances could jeopardise Red Bull's lead in the constructors' championship, especially with the second half of the season looming.

"Massive. It's a massive issue," he said. "This was a terrible weekend. It was unlucky in some ways. This isn't going to happen every weekend.

"McLaren taking that many points out of them? It's big. And Mercedes didn't have two cars that finished, but if their reliability was there, again it would have been a big chunk taken out of Red Bull.

"They are on the back foot, they are the third-highest scoring team at the moment, over the past five or six races. He needs to be scoring some points, at least, even if he's not finishing behind Max."

Currently, Red Bull leads the constructors' championship, but Button's comments underscore the vulnerability created by Perez's form.

As McLaren continues to strengthen its position as a regular contender for race victories, the championship battle promises to intensify.