Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has insisted his team always strives to give its drivers an equal chance after Sergio Perez described them as having previously been a one-car operation.
Perez told media in Australia yesterday he felt the team “were just going racing with two cars because they had to” when he joined Max Verstappen in their line-up for 2021.
Horner said he was surprised by his driver’s comments. “That’s the first I’ve heard him saying that,” he said.
“We always have run two cars since we entered the sport in 2005. We always want to have the best two drivers we can in the car.”
Perez has raised his game since joining the team in challenging circumstances two years ago, said Horner. “It’s great to see Checo doing a great job now.
“In ’21 he came into the car off the back of the Covid season and at the end of a set of regulations and he struggled with that car. Last year he was definitely more at home in the car and two of our 17 victories he achieved. He’s got out of the blocks well again this year.”
Red Bull gave equal status to its previous driver pairings including the likes of Daniel Ricciardo, Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber and others, said Horner.
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“As a team we’ve always strived to give both drivers the best opportunity and the best equipment we can. Then it’s down to what they do on-track.
“That’s whether it’s Max and Checo or Daniel and Max or Daniel and Seb or Mark and Seb or you can go back to David Coulthard and Mark Webber. That’s the way we’ve always rolled and it’s down to what they do on the circuit at the end of the day that counts.”
After the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Perez expressed surprise that Verstappen had taken the bonus point for fastest lap away from him at a time when he believed both drivers had been told to control their pace. Although the scale of Red Bull’s superiority means it is likely the championship will be won by one of their drivers, Horner believes “there’s no reason why” that should lead to any animosity between the pair.
“They’re both competitive drivers and they’re both racing drivers at the end of the day,” he said. “They know the rules of engagement in terms of, it’s team first.”
Having begun the year with a significant performance advantage over their rivals, Horner says Red Bull must ensure they score as many points as they can at this stage. They face tighter restrictions than…
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