As the season’s last two races approach in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi, the Mexican driver faces a crucial task at Red Bull. Team Principal Christian Horner expresses unwavering confidence in Sergio Perez’s ability to clinch second place in the Drivers’ Championship. With a 32-point gap between Perez and Lewis Hamilton, the Mexican has the opportunity to secure a historic one-two for Red Bull.
However, this achievement is contingent on Perez finishing ahead of the seven-time World Champion by more than six points. When questioned about the prospect of teammate Max Verstappen assisting Perez in securing second place, Horner states to Bloomberg, “I believe he won’t require assistance from Max, to be frank.”
“He just needs to finish either ahead or just behind Lewis [Hamilton] in Vegas to secure that second position.
“We’re treating these remaining races as cup finals, that’s how we’ve operated since winning the championship a few races ago in Qatar.”
Horner: Perez question marks stem from media
Recent criticisms have targeted Perez for his performances, particularly labeled as “shocker” outings during the Japanese and Mexican Grands Prix. However, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner contends that much of the uncertainty surrounding Perez’s future with the team is fueled by media speculation rather than accurate insights into behind-the-scenes developments.
“The only people that keep putting the question mark over him are you guys [media],” said Horner.
“Checo is going to be our driver next year and he’s had a tough six weeks, but he’s started to re-find his form.
“The race that he drove in São Paulo was very strong, his race in Austin was strong, he’s finding his form again.
“Let’s see what he can do over these next couple of races, but he will be our driver alongside Max [Verstappen] in 2024.”
