Perez no longer has any pressure on his shoulders, according to Horner
In Barcelona, Sergio Perez once again fell far behind his teammate and "rival" for the title, Max Verstappen. The world championship crown seems to be slipping away, but Christian Horner believes that this will benefit the Mexican.
After Monaco, where he scored no points, Sergio Pérez once again dropped valuable points in the battle for the championship by finishing fourth. The Mexican driver thus dropped another 14 points, which is quite detrimental.
53 points difference
Max Verstappen now has a comfortable lead (53 points) and seems to be effortlessly heading towards his third title. For his team manager, this gap will only benefit Sergio Perez, who will no longer have any pressure on his shoulders and can therefore drive without restraint.
“Now, the gap between the two drivers is quite significant. I think that will relieve the pressure he had on his shoulders. It will allow him to relax and regain the form he had in the early races of the season,” said Christian Horner.
The team principal of Red Bull still believes in his driver. Even though it will be almost impossible to recruit Max Verstappen, the Mexican driver must hold onto his second place in the championship to secure the Austrian double. In these early Grand Prix races, Sergio Perez has been very fast, even winning two races.
« We know what Checo is capable of. We saw him in Baku, Azerbaijan, as well as in Saudi Arabia. I’m sure he will regain the form he had during the first part of the season », Christian Horner continued.
Continue the efforts
The team director of Red Bull also knows that the team must continue its efforts on its side. The car of both drivers must continue to be developed to prevent certain teams, like Mercedes, from catching up.
This weekend, in Barcelona, it went rather very well. But maybe in the next races, it won’t go as smooth. Some circuits may be less suitable for us. There are still many races where we need to continue performing, added Christian Horner.
The Mercedes are racing to catch up with the Red Bulls. After a more than convincing performance in Spain, the Silver Arrows could catch up to the two cars of the Austrian team. A battle that could bring some entertainment.
“It’s better for the sport in general to have more teams fighting at the front. I think that’s what Mercedes wants to achieve, to have more drivers at the front. I hope that throughout the year, there will be more cars fighting with us,” concluded the Red Bull team manager.
