Christian Horner has recently revealed a policy that helps Red Bull to maintain the composure and solidarity between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. In a time when the two drivers are chasing each other for the championship, Horner’s policy acts as a lubricant to their friction.
Horner opened up on this in the Pardon My Take talk show, ahead of the Miami GP. There he said that both drivers get “the same opportunity” and they try to be as fair to both drivers as they can.
The team principal then went on to add that the team has an alternating policy. A policy that oversees who drives out of the garage first from weekend to weekend. Furthermore, it also looks at which driver talks first at debrief.
Horner added that they have this alternate policy to ensure that they are fair to both the drivers on the team. Red Bull is believed to have done this after there were talks about them being biased towards Verstappen.
Perez and Horner contradict one another after the Miami race
After the recently concluded Miami GP race, Perez came ahead to the media and criticized the team’s strategy. The 33-year-old said the strategy backfired for him as he was too slow to fend off the two-time world champion.
Upon hearing this, Horner defended his team over the allegation. The British executive stated, as per Racingnews365, that the Mexican was driving slowly in order to protect his front right tire.
The 33-year-old started his race with medium compounds, as compared to his teammate’s hard tires. As the newly put asphalt on the Miami International Autodrome proved to be a sort of tire eater, hard fared pretty well compared to the mediums and hence the gamble by the Dutchman played well.
Current championship status of Verstappen and Perez
As the Red Bull duo stamped their positions on top from day one of the championships, they haven’t moved since. Currently, Verstappen occupies P1 in the 2023 drivers’ standings with 119 points, followed by Perez with 104 points.
As for the stats, the Dutchman has three wins, two pole positions, and five podiums in total under his belt, while the Mexican has two wins, two pole positions, and four podiums in total. With Horner allowing Perez to race his teammate, things are sure to get interesting as the season unfolds.
In a season where Max Verstappen looks to assert his authority and take home his third world championship, Sergio Perez is expected to startle with his title-winning mindset.
