Christian Horner claims Sergio Perez has shown tremendous ‘strength of character’ to cope against Max Verstappen

Sergio Perez has had a huge struggle since joining the Red Bull F1 team.

Christian Horner claims Sergio Perez has shown tremendous ‘strength of character’ to cope against Max Verstappen

Max verstappen, Sergio Perez and Christian Horner (Via IMAGO)

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez have been operating as Red Bull teammates since 2021. The former has been on a rollicking run since then, but Perez, on the other hand, has not been able to meet the might of his teammate. While the Mexican has struggled, Christian Horner feels that he has shown real strength of character.

Being Max Verstappen’s teammate is not everybody’s cup of tea. Several have come before Sergio Perez and all of them have faltered. Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon had torrid times as Verstappen’s teammate and thus, were sidelined mercilessly by the Red Bull F1 team.

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However, when it comes to Perez, he has been able to hang in there against Max Verstappen. Christian Horner recognizes this fact and while talking about the same, he recently added, as reported by RacingNews365;

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If you're not psychologically strong, you won't cope with being his teammate. It's as simple as that. He's just relentless in his pace, in the way that he operates. That's been one of the positives for Checo, he’s had the strength of character to be able to deal with how we've seen it break others.

Looking at the reaction of the 50-year-old, it is quite clear that he is immensely pleased with how Sergio Perez has been able to deal with the pressure that comes on a driver as Verstappen’s teammate. Horner firmly believes that Perez has shown tremendous strength of character to hold his own against the Dutchman.

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Would Sergio Perez be able to extend his Red Bull F1 deal?

While Sergio Perez has received immense applause from Christian Horner for his efforts against Max Verstappen, the former could be on his way out of Red Bull at the end of the 2024 F1 season. Perez’s current deal with the Milton-Keynes-based outfit will run out at the end of next year’s Abu Dhabi GP.

Sergio Perez (Credits: Sportsrush)
Sergio Perez (Credits: Sportsrush)

However, if Perez can show solid form during next year’s campaign, there could arise a possibility where Christian Horner and Helmut Marko would look to offer him a contract extension. No one expects him to challenge Max Verstappen, Red Bull just wants him to put in consistent performances.

Sergio Perez is currently 33-years-old and his ongoing Red Bull stint is most probably his last with a top F1 team. Keeping this into view, Perez needs to work his socks off during the 2024 F1 season and hope that everything falls into place for him. Other than strong performances, he would also need a bit of luck to save his Red Bull seat.

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