Red Bull has reaped the rewards of signing an experienced driver alongside Max Verstappen following its prior reliance on youth, says team principal Christian Horner.
Sergio Perez, who joined Red Bull in 2021, is the most experienced driver to have ever raced for the team. He follows two drivers – Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon – who had made just 26 and 12 F1 starts respectively before they were placed alongside Verstappen.
Gasly was replaced after just half a season. Albon, who took his seat, lasted a year-and-a-half after he was dropped to make way for Perez.
“The key thing in the appointment of Checo was his experience,” said Horner. “It’s a bit unfair perhaps on the previous two guys to bring them in so soon. I think Checo with that experience, he’s been through some of the hard knocks and so on with his career until that point.
“What he’s brought to us is he’s a very rounded guy, he’s a great team player, he’s got a good outlook on the development of the car and he’s very easy to work with. So that’s all the reasons for taking him in the first place and he’s delivering on that.”
In his 45 starts with the team so far, Perez has claimed three wins plus 14 other podiums and he helped Red Bull win the constructors’ championship last year for the first time since 2013. He is set to surpass Daniel Ricciardo’s 58-race run as Verstappen’s longest-serving team mate this year.
Perez has proven he can deal with going up against a multiple world championship-winning team mate, says Horner. “He won two grands prix last year. He won a grand prix the year before. He was a key part in us winning the constructors’ world championship. And I think it’s tough for him having Max Verstappen as your team mate.
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“He is setting the barometer in F1 currently, but Checo is mature enough to be able to deal with it and handle that. He’s looking obviously to continue to evolve and improve his own performance as we’ve just seen in the last session. It’s good to see him looking competitive.
“Of course it’s not just about one race, it’s about 23 of them. And that’s going to be crucial for him. Because it’s not just about Max, it’s about [Ferrari’s] drivers and the Mercedes drivers, and the Aston Martin drivers, potentially. So you can’t dismiss anyone.”
Several of Verstappen’s former team mates are still on the F1 grid, with
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