BRITISH GRAND PRIX: UNDER PRESSURE SERGIO PEREZ SPINS OUT OF Q1

Sergio Pérez ended up in the gravel in the first qualifying session. Peter Fox - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images

 SILVERSTONE, England -- Under-pressure Sergio Pérez did nothing to quieten the noise around his future, spinning out of the first qualifying session at the British Grand Prix.

Pérez ran wide at the Stowe corner and then lost control of his car, getting beached in the gravel in the process.

"I put my hand up because I f----- up today," he said on Saturday after the incident.

Pérez, who signed to a new Red Bull deal after the Monaco Grand Prix but has only scored 15 points at the past five races, appears to be on shaky ground at the world champions.

Sources have indicated to ESPN a continuation of his bad form into the summer break could force the team to consider replacing him at the team.

Pérez, who will start from 19th, dismissed the suggestion his mistake was down to the mounting speculation.

"No, no no no, that has nothing to do with it," he said. "I'm fully focused on my job, I'm fully focused on getting the performance out of myself, I know where I can be, yesterday we had a very positive day, things were looking in the right direction, so yeah, head down and it's a matter of time before we turn around the situation."

Red Bull have grown increasingly alarmed by Pérez's spiralling form now that McLaren appear to be contenders for victory at every race.

It was hoped a new deal for Pérez, and an end to the uncertainty over his future which seems to follow him around this point in every season, would kick-start his season, but the opposite has happened.

Several hours before Pérez's exit from Q1, McLaren CEO Zak Brown told the media at Silverstone that Pérez's rotten streak of results means his team could well fight Red Bull for the constructors' championship, held between the 10 teams.

RB drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda would both be in prime position to step up and replace Pérez were that to happen, with New Zealander Liam Lawson then available to replace either of them.

Asked if he was confident of keeping his place in the team over the coming months, Perez said: "Yes of course, like I said, I'm fully committed to the team, I'm fully committed to my career, I have a contract with the team and I will turn things around, it's not something that distracts me or anything like that. I want to get back to my form and focus on important things."

- Nate Saunders, General Editor, F1