So far, Max Verstappen has been relishing the support of his teammate Sergio Perez as a deputy driver at Red Bull. The Mexican race driver has often played a pivotal role in Verstappen getting an edge in his title challenges.
The races in Abu Dhabi and Turkey are a huge testament to that. However, Perez no longer wants to play the ‘docile teammate’ role at Red Bull. He realizes it’s his only chance to have a clear shot at the title in his career and should also race for himself.
Both Red Bull drivers in 2023 stand with one race win each. And with only one point separating the two drivers on the table, Perez can show championship desires. But the question is whether Red Bull will support it. Christian Horner responds why not?
Christian Horner promises Red Bull drivers to be on equal footing
The 2023 season enters its third round in Australia, and once again, Red Bull is the favorite to win. They are so dominant that the title fight seems to tilt between Perez and Verstappen, and Horner now promises equal footing to both drivers for the rest of the season to fight it out.
“For us as a team, the responsibility is to give both drivers the same car (Checo Pérez and Verstappen) and the same opportunity; it all depends on what they do on the track,” said Horner to Skysports.
The Australian Grand Prix certainly is a huge opportunity for Perez. After this Melbourne trip, F1 won’t race till the end of April, and it’s the right time for him to make a championship statement to Red Bull’s hierarchy and to consolidate his chances before F1 goes into its involuntary break.
Horner will put his money on Max Verstappen over Sergio Perez
Before the start of the season, Horner spoke about a possible title fight between his two drivers. Without hesitation, the Red Bull team principal claimed that in equal cars, Verstappen is a more likely candidate to end up above Perez.
It’s definitely a solid endorsement by Horner for his two-time world champion for the 2023 title campaign. But he also remarked that since Verstappen is the man to beat, Perez has to level himself to the Dutchman. He added that if Perez doesn’t do that, what’s the point of him racing?
So, in short, Horner signaled that he has no qualms over Perez taking away the title. Still, he surely doesn’t believe in his second driver and, at any chance, would shift his priority to Verstappen. Though it’s nothing new, F1 has seen such cases over decades.
