Christian Horner was recently blamed for the rise in hostility between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. Former Williams team manager Peter Windsor slammed the Red Bull team principal for his inability to take control of the situation.
According to Express UK, Windsor revealed on his YouTube channel that he would have been annoyed at the out-of-control pushing of one another at the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
1-2 BULLS ON THE PODIUM. MASSIVE NIGHT FOR THE TEAM.
👉 VAMOS. @SChecoPerez‘s 5th Grand Prix Victory tonight!
👉 CRAZY comeback for @Max33Verstappen starting in P15.#F1 #RedBullRacing #SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/ehkh5TLwU5
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) March 19, 2023
The former Williams manager believes Horner and his team failed to cool things down when the drivers pushed harder than they needed to.
Instead of pushing one another, they could have backed off, given the team easily had 1-2 under their control. But the drivers decided to keep pushing as Perez responded to every good lap of Verstappen.
However, Red Bull did manage to come home to claim back-to-back 1-2, but the pushing ended itself when the Dutchman reported a vibration. In the end, the Mexican finished ahead of the Dutch pilot.
Windsor worries for Red Bull management over Max Verstappen
Peter Windsor has a mind full of worries for the defending champions and their star driver. The former Williams executive believes that Verstappen is not a driver who will abide by every instruction from the team, and this might be a big concern for the team up ahead.
As seen during the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix when he denied letting Perez through. Most recently, in Jeddah, the 25-year-old performed a last-minute maneuver to take the extra point to keep himself at the top of the table after the driveshaft story.
Perez was furious at this as he was told to hold station and keep the delta, whereas Verstappen pushed and snatched the fastest lap in Saudi Arabia. The Dutchman defied team instructions in both cases.
Horner denied having 1-2 in Red Bull
The Milton-Keynes-based team principal has denied giving Max Verstappen the number-one status in Red Bull. With this, he might attract the wrath of the Dutchman.
In a recent interview, Horner said that the drivers need to respect the team, each other, and the cars they drive. The Red Bull boss seemed to have been happy with the duo’s performances so far.
Currently, the Austrian team occupies the top spot in the constructors’ championship with 87 points. Driver Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez take the P1 and P2 with 44 and 43 points, respectively.
