Unhappy Christian Horner Responds to Sergio Perez’s Snarky Max Verstappen Accusations

Shreya Sanjeev | 17/04/2023
Psychological reason behind Max Verstappen limiting teammate Sergio Perez's growth at Red Bull

The environment at the Red Bull camp has been weird, to say the least. After a dominant 2022 season, the Milton Keynes outfit looks to cruise through the current season as well. However, as always, not everything is as it seems. While the team enjoys its power over the grid, there have been cracks forming within the team, and more often than not, the relationship between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez seeps through.

Verstappen has well-earned the #1 on his car and has been the center of attention at Red Bull for years. However, that doesn’t mean Perez has to water down his ambitions. Or does it? Currently holding the first and second spots in the driver’s championship, Checo is a mere 15 points behind his teammate.

However, once again, the discussion moves to Verstappen being the top priority at Red Bull. As Perez had recently suggested that before his arrival, Verstappen was at the core of Red Bull’s functions. “They were just going racing with two cars because they had to.” 

Checo makes it evident that he is receiving a level of support that his immediate predecessors, Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon, did not experience.

Sergio Perez’s catty Max Verstappen ideas receive wake-up call

Christian Horner spoke out against Perez’s ideas of how the team has been functioning. Clearing the air, the Red Bull team boss was also taken aback by these statements. “Well, that’s the first I’ve heard him saying that. We always have run two cars since we entered the sport in 2005.”

Discounting the idea of any sort of disregard toward the second driver, Horner analyzed Perez’s performance over his time at Red Bull. Hitting the three-year mark on this partnership, Horner explained how 2021 was a struggle for the driver, but he picked up massively in the following season.

Now, Horner believes that Perez has gotten off to a tremendous start this year. Already bagging a victory at Jeddah, Horner uses Perez’s words against him. “We’ve always strived to give both drivers the best opportunity and the best equipment we can and then it’s down to what they do on track.”

Responding to the notion that Red Bull has always been partial, Horner added, “And that’s whether it’s Max and Checo, or Daniel [Ricciardo] and Max, or Daniel and Seb [Vettel], or Mark [Webber] and Seb, or we could even go back to David Coulthard and Mark Webber.”

Thus, the boss man stated that it’s all about how his drivers use the given machinery on the track. With only three races down, according to Red Bull, the game is still very much open for Sergio Perez. Thus, can the Mexican stop the lion-like force of Max Verstappen?

Post Edited By: Tanish Chachra
Christian Horner Max Verstappen Red Bull Sergio Perez

About the author

Shreya Sanjeev

Shreya Sanjeev is an F1 journalist at the SportsRush. Two years in the field and an ever-growing love for the sport drive her dream to walk around the paddock one day with a mic in hand. A Red Bull fan through and through, her “favorite driver” spot was once held by notable alumni Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, and now, the Dutch Lion himself, Max Verstappen. Apart from F1, she muses in the NBA and cheers on for Steph Curry and his Warriors, while also jumping on the NFL bandwagon.

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