Perez Is In Red Bull Based On Merit And Not His Sponsors Says Horner
F1Tuesday, 09 January 2024 at 21:00
The team principal of Red Bull Racing, Christian Horner, recently asserted Sergio Perez is with his team based on his skills and not sponsors.
Sergio Perez finished second in the Championship in 2023 behind Max Verstappen. However, he lagged behind his teammates throughout the whole season.
The performance difference between the Dutchman and Perez prompted many fans to ask whether the Mexican driver deserves his seat with the team. Christian Horner told speedcafe.com:
"It's Checo's seat to lose. He's the incumbent of that seat, and a lot will depend on how next season goes for him."
The team principal suggested the team would still consider the 33-year-old driver for their lineup beyond 2024, but it all depends on his performances this season. On the other hand, Red Bull has plenty of potential replacements.
"But we're not short of talent within the group, and obviously outside of the group, there's been significant interest as well."
Despite a very challenging period throughout a couple of races mid-season, Perez managed to improve his performance towards the end. Horner recently called the Mexican driver "turn of the season" for his comeback.
"We really galvanized behind him and really supported him. Obviously, he had a difficult spell, but as a team, we helped him through that, he came out the other side, finishing second in the drivers' championship. It was his best-ever result."
It has been speculated the only reason Red Bull keeps Perez is because of the sponsors that the Mexican brings to the team. However, the team principal dismissed these claims as he added:
"Whatever sponsors we have are totally independent of any driver. Checo is in the car based on merit because we believe he is the best driver to be alongside Max. It has nothing to do with any of our partners."
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