Max Verstappen is ruthless when it comes to performing at the top level in an F1 car. Verstappen is so good that he makes it impossible for his teammates to match him. Therefore it has brought out the term often known as the “Red Bull Curse.” Now, Christian Horner came out to reveal how the three-time world champion is ‘blamed’ for bringing out his team’s biggest headache – finding a perfect teammate for Verstappen.
The saga began back in 2018 when the Dutch driver started to take control of things in the Austrian team. He beat Daniel Ricciardo in the Drivers’ Championship, which somehow saw him out of the team. Following Ricciardo’s departure, Red Bull brought in Pierre Gasly, who also found it hard to compete with Verstappen.
This is the perfect way to end our extraordinary season I’m extremely grateful for all of the hard work that’s gone into this year by each and everyone of you involved @redbullracing & @HondaRacingGLB To win 19 races in a season is just incredible It’s a privilege to be… pic.twitter.com/vOkhVPyD0k
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) November 26, 2023
After Gasly, the Milton Keynes team gave Alex Albon the chance to be alongside the now three-time world champion. After one and a half seasons, they also dropped Albon from the seat. In the end, Horner brought in Sergio Perez in 2021 and he has been the second driver for Red Bull ever since.
Interestingly, even Perez also fell prey to Verstappen’s aggression and struggled to keep up. When asked what is the reason why Verstappen’s teammates fail to compete with him, Horner said in a report published by Motorsport Italia, “Because he’s damn good. That’s the problem…” Even Horner now advised Perez to keep him away from competing with Verstappen.
The British boss brought Perez after relying on the pool of experience the Mexican driver offered. The 33-year-old also proved his worth by helping the team in the Constructors’ championship in the last few years. Nevertheless, Horner agreed that Red Bull’s assistance somewhat helped Verstappen in becoming more powerful.
Sergio Perez once opened up on the difficulties of becoming Max Verstappen’s teammate
As Sergio Perez began his Red Bull journey in 2021, he soon after understood that he was going to have a hard time competing with the mighty Verstappen. After almost three years, the Mexican driver opened up on the difficulties Verstappen brings to his teammate.
When for the first time ever we claimed both first and second place trophies in the Drivers’ Championship thanks to @SChecoPerez https://t.co/tFqLLoUsNH
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) December 4, 2023
Speaking about this, Perez told Viaplay Sport Nederland as per Fan Nation F1, “It is very difficult of course to have Max as a teammate.” Following this, he further added, “But I don’t think we should take anything away from the talent that he is, how hard he works, how he delivers, how focused he is.”
Perez’s failure to match Verstappen in 2023 despite driving the same car brought out rumors of him getting replaced. The former Racing Point driver claimed 285 points after 22 races, which is 290 points less than what Max Verstappen raked in. All in all, the three-time world champion proved again and again why he is a tough one to compete at Red Bull.
