F1 Azerbaijan GP: “They are free,” Christian Horner gives Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez the green light to battle each other at Baku

Both drivers have emerged as title competitors this season, contrary to Verstappen's solo charge

F1 Azerbaijan GP: “They are free,” Christian Horner gives Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez the green light to battle each other at Baku

Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez and Christian Horner

Tensions have been flaring at Red Bull recently amid their drivers, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, intent on fighting for the title. Perez was originally taken aboard in the capacity of being a wingman to Verstappen, assisting him on track. However, times have changed, with Perez’s growing ambitions and continually displaying his proficiency behind the wheel.

Perez has insisted that the duo share mutual respect amid rumors of a rift. Despite these tensions, team principal Christian Horner has granted the pair the authority to race each other on track. He said to total-motorsport.com, “The drivers are, of course, free to race just so long as they do it cleanly. And they respect each other and the obviously the team because, you know, we have a lot riding on this. The priority is take as many points as you can and.. it’s such an early stage of the championship still, it’s about not fluttering away points.”

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The principles his drivers must abide by have been made clear by Horner, who clearly wishes to encourage both drivers to push each other and maximize the points the team scores, while also avoiding a situation where the two collide on track, ultimately depriving the team of crucial points. He has also chosen not purely to prioritize Verstappen, and wants to let Perez exhibit himself to the fullest extent of his ability.

Related: Sergio Perez tipped to remain at Red Bull beyond 2024 as he continues to challenge Max Verstappen

The Azerbaijan GP is no stranger to controversial incidents on track with Red Bull

Red Bull at Baku in 2018 via GPFans
Red Bull at Baku in 2018 via GPFans

The 2018 Azerbaijan GP is famously known as the turning point in the relationship between Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo as teammates. The pair infamously collided, with the likes of Ricciardo rear-ending Verstappen in an effort to overtake him. The rapport between the two soon deteriorated, facilitating the Aussie’s departure at the end of the season.

While Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez are yet to be involved in an incident of this magnitude, tensions are running high between them. From ignoring team orders to snatching the fastest laps at the last second, this situation has had no bounds. The alleged rift between the pair is speculated to have the potential to cause a repeat of the incident of 2018. Should this come to pass, there will be far-reaching implications for the team.

Thus far, the pair have not been involved in wheel-to-wheel action under the pretense of team orders. However, now that they’re unrestricted, we could witness the pair go at it this weekend. Both drivers are unyielding and crave victory as much as the other. Horner has clearly emphasized that this freedom is accompanied by the fact that it must be clean racing, mitigating any crash risk, in which case there will be no beneficiaries.

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is set to be even more competitive now, with Horner releasing the Bulls from their chains. Given that both drivers are still in the running to win the title, they have been granted this freedom. However, should one of them emerge as a favorite in the near future after accumulating a sizeable advantage, team orders will inevitably come into play once more.

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