Formula 1 fans have slammed Red Bull team principal Christian Horner for his bias towards Max Verstappen over Sergio Perez. The fans have put up several angry reactions after the 49-year-old seemingly completely snubbed Perez despite the Mexican winning the race for the team at the recently concluded Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
After the race concluded, Horner told Verstappen on the team radio, “Checo got a little lucky with the safety car”. Immediately following this reaction, some fans such as Stefan wondered why did Horner sound ‘so disappointed’ that the Dutchman came up short of his Red Bull teammate Perez.
Christian Horner to Max on the radio: “Checo got a little lucky with the safety car” lmfao why do you sound SO disappointed by that
— Stefan⁴⁴ (@HPP7Strat2) April 30, 2023
Meanwhile, some fans such as Venegas slammed Horner for being ‘disrespectful’ and hoped that Perez would find himself a new team for next year.
Disrespectful and unethical from a team principal… honestly I hope checo finds a new team next year
— Venegas (@VenegasFD13) April 30, 2023
On the same lines, Dylstagram also wondered why Horner barely praises Perez but often speaks to Verstappen.
I’m no red bull fan but I like Perez. Why do we never hear Christian Horner praise Perez for winning the race but always hear Horner talking to Max?
— Dylstagram (@dylstagram) April 30, 2023
And then there were also fans such as Lesley who went to the extent of not only slamming Horner but labeling the entire Red Bull team as ‘toxic’.
Does Horner make the same comments to Checo when Max wins? Shocking team principle. Team is toxic
— Lesley 🇺🇦 (@LesleyMilne2012) April 30, 2023
Did Christian Horner not praise Sergio Perez for his win?
While Christian Horner did praise Sergio Perez for his victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after the race, it was his post-race radio message to Max Verstappen that made it feel as though he did not give much credit to the Mexican for the win. This is because the 49-year-old seemed to suggest that Verstappen would have surely won had the safety car not come at the wrong time.
When asked to comment on Perez’s performance, Horner said (as quoted by Sky Sports F1), “He’s had a sensational weekend. He’s been always outstanding at this track, I don’t know what it’s about Azerbaijan but he absolutely excels here”.
Perez reduces Verstappen’s championship lead to six points
Sergio Perez seems to be proving his doubters wrong week in and week out as he has so far proven that he can go toe to toe with his double-world-champion teammate Max Verstappen. While the Mexican did get a tad lucky with the safety car during the Azerbaijan GP, he still had to control the race and keep his pacey teammate behind.
Perez did all this to perfection and grabbed his second win of the season. In the process, he also increased his points tally to 87 and reduced Verstappen’s lead in the championship to just six points. If Perez does manage to win the Miami Grand Prix next weekend, he can take the lead in the championship for the first time in his career.
