Red Bull team principal Christian Horner refuted the possibility of team orders in the future to favor Max Verstappen over Sergio Perez in the championship. The Briton feels Perez is equally in the title fight as the reigning champion, and hence deserves equal treatment.
After Perez won the 2022 F1 Monaco GP, Horner was asked about issuing team orders for Verstappen over the Mexican in the upcoming races. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, the 48-year-old team principal said:
“No. He’s in this Championship just as much as Max [Verstappen] is. The difference between the two of them is 15 points or so, which is nothing.”
The Red Bull team boss believes both their drivers are equal in the title fight and Perez deserves an equal chance. Refuting the possibility of team orders, Horner believes the narrow points margin between both their drivers does not justify their issuing.
Red Bull chief believes they need to work on their performance as Ferrari is getting hard to beat
Christian Horner believes Ferrari have a quicker car and, although they were beaten in Monaco with an effective strategy, that might not be the case for all future races. The Red Bull chief feels they are going to have to lift their game to be able to beat Ferrari in the championship, which has 15 more races.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the race, Horner said:
“There’s a long way to go in this Championship and we can see Ferrari have got a very fast car; they had a better car than us on this circuit this weekend. Through great team work, great work from the drivers, and the pit wall, we manage to beat them here. That’s not going to be easy at the coming races. As a team, we’ve got to optimise our performances and at the back end of the Championship that’s where it’s going to get really exciting.”
While Red Bull lead Ferrari in the constructors’ standings by 36 points, Max Verstappen leads the drivers’ standings from Charles Leclerc by a narrow margin of nine points. With the championship wide open, The Milton Keynes-based outfit will have to maximize its performances and capitalize on the opportunities available in the next few races to extend its advantage over its Italian rival.