Christian Horner says it is a ‘shame’ that Sergio Perez had a Q2 exit at Qatar GP while Max Verstappen won the pole position

Qatar GP was the sixth race of the 2023 season. Sergio Perez has missed out on Q3 6th time.

Christian Horner says it is a ‘shame’ that Sergio Perez had a Q2 exit at Qatar GP while Max Verstappen won the pole position

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

Multiple drivers succumbed to the tricky ‘track limits’ at the Losail International Circuit during Friday’s Qualifying. Over half of the drivers had at least one lap time deleted for running off the track during the session. Red Bull’s Sergio Perez was one of them. Perez was under pressure at the end of Q2 and needed a strong lap to reach the top 10 and move into Q3. Checo found the lap time needed and momentarily appeared to have qualified for Q3 before seeing his lap being ‘written-off.’

The decision demoted the Mexican driver to P13 and subsequently outside the top 10 (out of Q3). Christian Horner, Red Bull’s chief, commented on the session and Perez’s early exit. He said, “It was a shame for Checo; he made it to Q3 and then lost a lap time.” 

Horner was asked to comment on Verstappen’s pole and the gap between the Dutchman and Perez. The Red Bull chief was at a loss for words himself as he couldn’t point to the exact reason for the widening performance gap. Horner continued to give Checo “an arm around the shoulder” following the driver’s latest setback.

Horner concluded his talks to racefans.net with some appreciative words for Perez. “For Checo, it’s a tough moment for him. He has all the pressure on his shoulders that mounts from being in one of the hottest seats in Formula 1. But I’m sure that he’ll respond to that. We just need to support him as a team and try and do the best,” said the British Team Principal.

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Christian Horner says Max Verstappen’s dominance in 2023 is beyond the team’s ‘wildest dreams

Red Bull and Max Verstappen have had a staggering season. Verstappen has amassed 13 wins this season out of the 16 races, while Red Bull have missed out only once on the victory. That takes Red Bull to a total of 15 race wins, Singapore GP being the only one where they’ve lost.

Christian Horner (via Planet F1)
Christian Horner (via Planet F1)

Red Bull’s boss, Christian Horner, has commented on their dominance this season. He said, “We’ve had 13 with Max, two with Checo. To achieve the sixth constructors’ championship is beyond our wildest dreams coming into the season.”

The team reaped their rewards at the Japanese Grand Prix as they were crowned the constructor’s champion for the year. Many anticipate a similar story in 2024, given Red Bull’s gap to their competitors.

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