Christian Horner keeping high hopes for Singapore following the disappointing result in Baku

Christian Horner views Sergio Perez’s performance in Baku as a positive indicator for Red Bull heading into the Singapore GP. Speaking to onsite media after the Azerbaijan GP, the Red Bull Racing CEO highlighted the potential to build on the weekend’s positives, despite the disappointing result.

Perez’s pace and ability to closely follow both Ferrari and McLaren throughout most of the race without significant tire degradation was particularly encouraging. Horner believes the Mexican driver was on course for a podium finish if not for the on-track clash with Carlos Sainz. In contrast, Max Verstappen’s race unfolded differently, with the Dutch driver struggling to move through the field and facing issues with tire degradation and graining.

Horner noted that the crash has impacted Red Bull’s production of parts ahead of Singapore, where the team is scheduled to introduce minor upgrades, as confirmed by Chief Engineer Paul Monaghan. Despite this setback, Horner emphasized taking the positives from Perez’s performance.

Perez had approved the upgrades in Baku, which included a revised floor and wing, and the feedback from both drivers has convinced Horner that Red Bull can be more competitive in Singapore. He also hinted that further updates could be introduced for the Austin GP.

Asked about Red Bull’s expectations for the Singapore GP weekend, Horner said:

"Well, I think if you take the positives out of this weekend, Sergio was in a position for contention with the victory throughout the race. And I think if we can build on that and extract more performance, there's no reason why we can't be competitive in Singapore.”

Asked how much Perez’s crash impacted the spares and parts which further impacted the production, Horner replied:

“Well look it won't help I mean the guys and girls have been working round the clock and you know they'll be in tonight in the factory to be trying to produce parts to get to Singapore. So you know we've still got five days till that we can start so yeah I mean everybody's on it.”

Asked if they planned any updates for their car in Austin, he said:

“Look, we're pushing hard. We're now not defending, we're chasing, so it changes the dynamic again, And we're just going to throw everything at it.”

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Christian Horner reckons the RB20 has improved in terms of performance

Christian Horner believes that Red Bull’s RB20 has shown clear improvement, as demonstrated by Sergio Perez’s performance during the race. He suggested that Max Verstappen’s struggles may have been due to variations in the car’s setup, which could explain the differences in their performance. Horner indicated that the team will analyze the data to understand the disparities between both drivers’ setups and work on further improvements.

In terms of tire management, Horner praised Perez for handling his tires better than Verstappen. He acknowledged that the RB20 has a narrow operating window and is highly sensitive to setup changes. Verstappen’s issues with bouncing during the race appeared to be a result of the different setup he ran compared to his teammate, which hampered his overall performance.

Asked if the Red Bull RB20 was still a monster as Verstappen seemed unhappy with it, Horner said:

“I think Max, obviously, we need to look at the variances and set up. He wasn't as happy with his car as Checo was. But I think if you take Checo as the baseline here, I think that we have made improvements. We just need to understand the differences and, again, improve further.”

Asked if he was surprised that Verstappen was not able to manage the tires as well as Perez, Horner said:

“Yeah, Max definitely was going through the tyre quicker, both on the medium and on the hard tyre. So again, we've got to look at the variances in setup between the two cars to understand that. Checo, on the mean hand, meanwhile, was able to follow line of stern for pretty much the entire Grand Prix. I don't think it was ever more than two seconds behind the car ahead and still managed to, from what we could see on the television, his tyres were still in good condition compared to those around him. It looked like Charles lost his rears and that's why he was so vulnerable at the end of the race.”

Historically, Sergio Perez has consistently performed well at the Baku street circuit, where he remains the only repeat winner. However, in his last ten races, this was the first time he was competitive enough to secure a top-five position in both qualifying and the race.

Unfortunately, his retirement following the clash with Carlos Sainz has left Red Bull with a 20-point deficit to McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship. Additionally, they face pressure from Ferrari, who are just 31 points behind. With Singapore approaching—a circuit where Red Bull has struggled in the past—the success of their upcoming upgrades will be crucial.