“We would get a better Checo if we gave him security”– Christian Horner reveals contract extension improved Sergio Perez’s performances in recent races

Christian Horner reveals what boosted Sergio Perez’s performances with Red Bull that is aiding them in the championship victory.

After failing to find a suitable candidate to accommodate Max Verstappen, Red Bull decided to go for Sergio Perez. An experienced driver who was coming out with his career-best season in 2020.

The Mexican had a good start to his 2021 spell with Red Bull but struggled to keep up in between. His poor outputs even questioned Red Bull’s decisions.

But Red Bull thought, keeping 2022 in mind. They would need an experienced driver in future too. So, they extended his contract, which has apparently improved his performances, as claimed by Christian Horner.

From attack to defence 👀 You simply can’t take your eyes off @SChecoPerez 🍿pic.twitter.com/2cEoLTKE4j

— Red Bull Racing Honda (@redbullracing) November 22, 2021

“We sat down during the summer break and realized that we would get a better Checo if we gave him security. The second half of the season proves us right. Checo has become much better,” reveals team boss Christian Horner to AMuS.

“The comparison of points only indicates this vaguely. Before the contract, Perez got 9.45 points per start. Afterwards, it was 9.55 points.”

Also read: Sergio Perez on Pierre Gasly after reflecting on Frenchman’s sublime AlphaTauri performances

Christian Horner thinks Max Verstappen can fly with any car

Qualifying has never been Perez’s strong suit. Though his difference against Max Verstappen in the qualifying is staggering, something similar to Perez’s predecessors.

This narrows down to only two possibilities: either Verstappen is the absolute high-flyer, or Red Bull has peculiarities that only the Dutchman can master. Horner thinks both points are valid to an extent.

“Max wins all his time in the slow and medium-speed corners. Sometimes up to two tenths in a single place. The rear axle of our cars has always been nervous when braking. Max doesn’t mind.”

“Everyone else does. They lose confidence and become insecure. Maybe Max doesn’t even notice this nervousness in the car and just drives over it. ”

Meanwhile, Red Bull adviser backs this opinion, “Max drives fast in any car. Put something in front of him and he is on speed in the second lap.”

“Perez always hit the whims of Red Bull particularly hard when the plan has to be changed at short notice. When jumping from one type of tire to the other in qualifying.”

Also read: Sergio Perez confesses it’s his job to help Max Verstappen win the championship

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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