Perez: Issues I had just got worse and worse, now Max has them

Perez also told reporters ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix that the problems may have been masked by the differing driving styles of the Red Bull drivers.

The Austrian team and once-dominant, triple world champion Verstappen are on a six-race losing streak, with the Dutch driver finishing only sixth in the most recent Italian Grand Prix, which was won by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

Currently holding an eight-point lead over McLaren in the constructors' standings with eight races remaining, Red Bull risks falling behind their rivals in Baku as the season enters its final long-haul phase.

McLaren's Lando Norris is 62 points behind Verstappen in the 2024 F1 World Championship drivers' standings, while Perez — seventh in the standings — has failed to finish in the top three in the last 11 rounds.

When asked about Verstappen's recent remarks on Red Bull's performance, Perez said the team likely did not notice the severity of the problems because Verstappen was "coping well with them."

The Mexican added: "It wasn’t so obvious with Max’s driving style, but with my driving style, it all became a lot more apparent probably since race three of the season. The issues I was having just got worse and worse, and now Max seems to be finding similar issues.

"(Resolving the issue) is something that will help both drivers. It will help me even more, you know, because of the driving style I have," Perez said.

Red Bull chief engineer Paul Monaghan, speaking on Friday about the car's upgraded floor, expressed hope for an improvement in Sunday’s race: "We’ve licked our wounds and learned our lessons. The proof will obviously be in the pudding on Sunday, but we’ve tried to bring changes to the car and make it better."

If the "issues" are resolved in Baku this weekend remains to be seen. On Friday, Verstappen topped a FP1 for the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with last year's winner Perez in P3. But it's early days.