Christian Horner refutes allegations that Sergio Perez received less data than Max Verstappen during Miami GP
Following commentary's suggestion that Sergio Perez's radio was quiet while Max Verstappen's buzzed with information, Christian Horner made it clear that both drivers received equal information.
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Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez (Credits: Skysports)
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has dismissed the suggestion that Sergio Perez received fewer updates from the team during the Miami Grand Prix and defended the team’s communication with both of their drivers, insisting that both drivers received the same information throughout the race.
Commentators had suggested that while Verstappen was asking for updates over the radio, Sergio Perez’s radio remained quiet; however, Christian Horner confirmed that both drivers had access to the same data. “Checo was very clear on the pit stop. 19.8 seconds was the magic number, and he was getting every single lap the gap to Max,” said Horner. “So long as he knows Max is within that magic 19.8, he knew he was behind him, because he could work out if he was 16 seconds behind, there’d be three seconds between them.”
The explanation comes after Max Verstappen won the Miami Grand Prix with one of the most stunning performances of the season, starting ninth on the grid and finishing over five seconds ahead of teammate Perez. Due to the different strategies of the Red Bull colleagues, Verstappen spent most of the middle of the race attempting to build a full pit stop advantage over Perez.
While Verstappen’s strategy finally paid out, Perez battled with balance and lacked confidence in his vehicle, eventually lapping slower than Verstappen with Max on worn tires and losing a spot on track to his teammate. This season, Red Bull has been the team to beat, yet there is an underlying instability among the squad. The two drivers’ distinct strategies in Miami demonstrate this.
Christian Horner feels Sergio Perez’s championship ambitions are still alive
The Mexican driver had a great weekend in Azerbaijan just a week prior, winning both the Sprint and the main race and clawing into Max Verstappen’s lead to just six points, while Verstappen had a disappointing outing. In Miami, however, the roles were reversed, with Perez struggling while Verstappen had a flawless weekend apart from a mistake in Q3, which saw him fail to set a representative time on board and start from ninth on the grid.
Horner doesn’t believe that the result will be too damaging to Perez’s championship aspirations, however. “There’s still a long, long way to go,” he said. “There’s only 14 points between the two drivers, we’ve got 18 races to go and five sprint races. There’s still an awful lot that can happen. I’m sure [Perez] was disappointed not to convert it into a victory, but he’s still taken away very valuable points.”
Horner praised Verstappen for his commanding drive in Miami, crediting the Dutchman’s ability to keep his head despite starting so far back on the grid. “He definitely came out of Baku disappointed. Checo was the faster guy there, particularly on Sunday, and I think he came here really wanting to reassert himself, and then of course he made a mistake in qualifying, that then put him on the back foot. His pace in the race was quite outstanding.”
The Red Bull team principal thinks Perez can make a comeback. He said ups and downs are natural in sports, and Perez was feeling positive a week ago. Horner doesn’t think Perez will be too disheartened as he gained 18 points. And was sure that Max’s impressive performance would have been hard to beat. The Red Bull drivers have traded victories this season and are far ahead of the rest of the field. It remains to be seen if any team or driver can challenge them.
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Rohit Bhaskar
(727 Articles Published)