Sergio Perez reveals Christian Horner’s TOXIC side as the Red Bull boss threatened to give him the silent treatment
Sergio Perez has just revealed the toxic way in which Christian Horner had threatened him ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.
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Red Bull is currently reigning at the top of the F1 Constructors’ World Championship, and a major chunk of the credit for this feat goes to Christian Horner. In the current season, Red Bull has won all 11 races with Max Verstappen seizing eight wins in a row. But all these awards and accolades do not mask the fact that the team has a concerning environment, as described by several ex-Red Bull racers.
As the second driver for Red Bull, Sergio Perez has often been overlooked according to several fans. The Mexican racer has captured victory at three Grands Prix this year, but lately, he has simply failed to keep up with his teammate despite driving the same RB-19 as Verstappen. When Horner noted this, he was not happy with Checo at all. In fact, he pressurized the former Racing Point driver to win a podium at the Belgian GP at all costs.
Maling light of the matter, Sergio Perez claimed Christian Horner had “joked” that he will stop talking to the Mexican if he failed to win a podium at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
It was a joke. He [Christian Horner] came before qualifying and said, 'If you're not in the top three, I will not talk to you the rest of the weekend'.Sergio Perez said via Express.com.
Ultimately, Sergio did get land a P2 finish in Belgium. He had, in fact, scored a pole position during the Qualifying as Max lost his pole due to a grid penalty. At that time, Perez told to Horner over the radio:
Ah, you will talk to me now.
Red Bull’s toxicity spreads to the racers of AlphaTauri as well
Red Bull has made it a point over the years to show that they only strive for excellence in their F1 campaigns. Their Chief Advisor Helmut Marko has an eye for talent, and he has contributed a great deal in scouting great racers like Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo.
Marko also handles the recruitments for Red Bull’s sister team AlphaTauri. And if one of the drivers fail to meet the team’s high standards, they are demoted or even dismissed. The most recent example of such an apparently toxic incident is Nyck deVries.
At the beginning of the current F1 season, Marko brought in Nyck, a former Formula E and Formula 2 Champion, to drive for AlphaTauri. But when he saw that the Dutchman failed to win a single point even after racing in ten Grands Prix, deVries was replaced by Daniel Ricciardo.
As of now, deVries’ future steps in motorsports have not been officially confirmed although he was seen meeting with Mercedes Boss Toto Wolff in Monaco some days after his AlphaTauri sacking. It remains to be seen if Nyck joins the rival forces to take down Red Bull or if he moves to another racing league altogether.
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