Christian Horner claims Sergio Perez’s 2023 season ‘isn’t all bad’ despite massive second-half slump

Sergio Perez has some people still rooting for him in the paddock.

Christian Horner claims Sergio Perez’s 2023 season ‘isn’t all bad’ despite massive second-half slump

Red Bull's Team Principle Christian Horner and Sergio Perez (via IMAGO)

Sergio Perez‘s performance has taken a nosedive. In the last five races, he couldn’t make it to the Q3 qualifying sessions. In contrast, his teammate Max Verstappen has dominated this season and already secured the championship with five races to go.

At the beginning of the season, Perez performed exceptionally well. The team finished first and second six times, while the Mexican driver won two races in addition to the Azerbaijani sprint race. However, after the mid-season break, he struggled to achieve good results. While Sergio Perez has faced criticism, Red Bull boss Christian Horner continues to support him and believes in his racing abilities.

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Horner said that the team is aware of Checo’s capability and acknowledges Perez’s weakness in qualifying. As mentioned in @RBR_Daily’s tweet, Horner said, “We know what Checo is capable of, and we know that qualifying tends to be his weakness.” Christian Horner also added, “When racing, he comes alive on a Sunday afternoon. He’s demonstrated that time and time again.”

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The boss also talked about Perez’s scores this season and added that ‘it’s not all been bad’. He said, “We have six one-two finishes this year; he’s won two Grand Prix.” Talking about his position in the championship, Horner added, “He’s still second in the world championship, 30 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton. It’s not all been bad!”

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What did others on the grid have to say about Sergio Perez’s slump?

Helmut Marko, an advisor at Red Bull, also spoke about the recent performance of Perez. He added that the second spot in the championship standings is at risk for Perez. Since Perez has a contract with Red Bull until the end of 2024, Marko said that the team wants to implement the contractual situation.

Red Bull's Helmut Marko and Sergio Perez
Red Bull’s Helmut Marko and Sergio Perez (via IMAGO)

2016 World Champion Nico Rosberg also commented on Perez’s performance. He said that Perez could potentially be replaced by another driver following his poor performance. Subsequently, he added that the racers currently available to replace Perez are ‘not ready’ and hence it will take some time to find a suitable replacement for Perez.

Nevertheless, the 33-year-old racer is still not done with Formula 1. Perez added that he plans on staying in the sport for three or four more years. He felt that he still had ‘a lot to offer’ and hoped to re-sign his contract with Red Bull until the end of 2025.

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