During a recent Secrets of Success podcast episode, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner unveiled a groundbreaking strategy. Throughout the discussion, he delved into the team’s unique culture, emphasizing their unwavering commitment to prioritizing the Drivers’ Championship over the team title.
At the beginning, Horner talked about the Constructor’s Championship’s substantial financial benefits and how important it is to the team’s stability. While expanding on this, he said, “The team championship that constructs the championship is hugely important to us because that’s where the financial reward is distributed through the prize money.”
However, later in the conversation, he conveyed that despite the financial rewards of the Constructors’ Championship, the true prestige lies in winning the Driver’s Championship. Reflecting on his stance, Horner then said, “But the prestige is in the Drivers’ Championship and we would always pick a Drivers’ Title over a Constructor Championship.”
Interestingly, as he continued, Horner also mentioned that despite not getting any money for the Drivers’ Championship, winning that title in itself brings a sense of satisfaction to the entire team. He then added that if given an option between the championships, he would forfeit even $1 and pick the Drivers’ title over the Constructors’.
In addition to this, Horner discussed how their unique approach, which gives precedence to the Drivers’ Championship, often requires the team to assign specific roles to its drivers. Through this discussion, Horner indirectly conveyed the importance of establishing clear expectations for each driver to promote a harmonious atmosphere within the team.
Moreover, Horner also underlined that with drivers aiming for individual success, their actions will ultimately be geared towards prioritizing what is in the best interests of the team.
Christian Horner issues a caution to Sergio Perez as part of the team’s strategy
In the 2023 season, Christian Horner and his team demonstrated an impressive performance by winning 21 out of 22 races. While Max Verstappen showcased his exceptional skills by winning 19 races, the season presented challenges for Sergio Perez, who managed to secure only two victories.
Despite Perez’s challenging period and the availability of various options to replace him, the team has chosen to show faith in him. However, that does not mean that Red Bull won’t consider sacking the Mexican at all even if his underperformance continues in 2024.
Red Bull are brutal when it comes to taking such difficult calls. Nyck de Vries is the most recent driver who suffered due to the harshness of the Milton Keynes outfit after he was sacked after just 10 races.
Although Perez is aware of the huge task he faces going into 2024, matching a driver like Max Verstappen is going to be far from easy. The Dutchman is already a three-time champion now and obliterated the field in 2023.
Hence, the pressure is all on Perez to deliver in the upcoming campaign. The Mexican will need to ensure that he works on his qualifying performances in particular after having a torrid run in 2023.
There was a time when he even failed to make it to Q3 in five consecutive races despite having the fastest car on the grid. Since Perez struggled massively in qualifying, Horner also pointed out how Red Bull cannot afford to see the 33-year-old struggle on a one-lap pace in 2024 as he expects his team’s rivals to close the gap to them.
