“Heart was in my mouth”: Red Bull boss explains why he was worried when Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez went racing

Christian Horner revealed that he was worried at the end of the race in Jeddah after both Red Bull drivers came close to battling each other.

The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was a show for Red Bull yet again after their massive success in the Bahrain GP. Although Max Verstappen started P15, he made his way to P2 and was close enough to battle his teammate, Sergio Perez, who had started the race in pole position. Horner, the team principal, explained that the gap that was closing up between the two drivers had him worried during the final stages of the end. He told Sky Sports:

"Obviously the heart was in my mouth at that point because i'm envisioning in 3 laps we're going to have two drivers going at it hammer and tong, but it didn't materialise, Checo got the gap, was able to manage it."

Max Verstappen drove his RB-19 amazingly well throughout the race, challenging the entire field to a battle and quickly taking it over. He was assisted by a safety car 'cheap' pitstop that helped him build a gap to the challenging Ferraris. Although he seemed to be extremely close to battling Checo in the final laps of the race, the Mexican had built up a gap big enough (and kept it consistent) to mark his victory on yet another street circuit.

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Red Bull allowed Verstappen and Perez to race 'freely' in Jeddah

Both Red Bull drivers have been phenomenal during most races. Even this season, though Verstappen seems to have the upper hand in performance, both drivers have established dominance over the grid together.

The 2022 season saw a lot of times when Checo was asked to 'let Max by' for a better finish during the race, and though the order was reversed in favor of Checo in Brazil, the Dutchman refused to follow it. With the many controversies it created, the 2023 season feels much different for them both. Christian Horner revealed that during a team meeting earlier in the race, both drivers were told to race freely, but asked simultaneously to 'keep it clean.'

"They were both pushing hard, and Max he got the fastest lap at the end there. We got a great car and two great drivers, and we talked about it in the briefing earlier today that 'You're free to race, but you keep it clean'. Both of them are so competitive."

There is just a single-point gap separating the two Red Bull drivers at the top of the standings after the second round of the season. As dominating as they have been, perhaps Perez will be one of the contenders for the championship by the end of the season.