Red Bull Driver Pairing Not As Strong As It Used To Be According To Horner
F1
Red Bull Racing F1 team principal Christian Horner discussed the future of Sergio Perez in the team again after the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix.
Red Bull secured the constructor's Championship earlier during the Japanese Grand Prix, and Max Verstappen secured the Drivers' Championship for the team during the Qatar Grand Prix weekend.
When we compare the performances of the Flying Dutchman (who beats every single other driver by a great margin weekend by weekend) to the performances of the Mexican, something does not seem right.
The car should not be the problem, so many of Perez's fans are left confused as the number 11 driver has proved his talent and racing skills in the past. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said after the Qatar Grand Prix:
"I think with a car like we have, he’s probably putting that pressure on himself. The most important thing for us is winning both [drivers’ and teams’] championships. We’ve done that. And then, what’s the next best thing after that would be to have both your drivers first and second."
Perez, currently second in the Drivers' Championship, has a 30-point lead over third-place Lewis Hamilton on Mercedes. Horner seems to be less and less satisfied with Checo's pace as he points to strong driver pairings of other teams:
"You can see Mercedes have a pair, McLaren have a pair, Ferrari have a pair that are quite tight between the respective drivers. I think we’ve had that at the earlier point in the year. But as the season has gone on it’s become more variant."
Perez has gone from matching Verstappen's pace at the beginning of the season to lacking more than 200 points in the Championship behind the three-time world champion in the same machinery. Horner believes in Perez's skills, the Mexican driver just needs to find his form.
"We just need to get Checo back to the best form that he’s capable of. The frustration is that we know what Checo has been capable of doing. Of course, last year and this year, he’s contributed significantly to the constructors’ championship. We desperately want him to find that form, and as a team, we need him to."
Teams like McLaren and Mercedes are doing everything they can to catch up to Red Bull. Horner warns if the rest grid keeps catching up and the battle for the Championship becomes closer, Red Bull needs both drivers performing "at the top of their game," hinting Perez needs to find his pace ASAP.
"We can’t afford to have a big split because if, as you would expect, the grid continues to concertina next year, we need both drivers delivering at the top of the game."
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