SUMMARY
- Sergio Perez reaffirms support for Christian Horner amidst Red Bull turmoil.
- Perez emphasizes on Red Bull's strong performance despite distractions.
Sergio Perez has publicly voiced his support for Christian Horner, asserting that the entire Red Bull Formula 1 team stands firmly behind him. The recent uproar and series of scandals against the team lead have shaken up the reigning champions. Soon after the conclusion of the inquiry launched against Horner, a collection of messages between Horner and a female staff had gone viral.
While tensions are brewing within the Red Bull garage regarding this investigation, it hit the team like a storm when Jos Verstappen, father of their star driver, announced his disapproval of Horner’s leadership. Verstappen Sr stirred controversy by suggesting that Horner’s continued involvement could potentially destabilize the F1 team. The recent developments are acting as a domino effect which might push Verstappen out of the team.
Sergio Perez backs Christian Horner amid chat leak scandal
Despite all the controversies, Perez maintains that the team’s impressive performance in the opening race proves that off-track distractions have not affected their focus on racing. The Mexican, although, remained tight-lipped when pressed about any updates regarding Horner’s future with the Austrian outfit.
🗣️ | 🇸🇦 Checo on Christian Horner being a key figure in the team
“I think he doesn’t just have my support, but I think the entire team is behind him. He is a very important person within our organisation and the work he has done over the years speaks for itself. Christian is a… pic.twitter.com/sgUuPj3fbe
— RBR News 🇳🇱🇲🇽 (@redbulletin) March 7, 2024
According to Perez, “I think not only my support, I think the full team is fully behind him. He’s obviously a great guy. He’s a very important person in our organization. The job that he’s done over the years speak for themselves. I think Christian is a key team player in this organization. I think he’s fully focused on the racing side.”
He also declined to comment on the latest updates on Horner’s case and said, “I can only speak for the racing side. I don’t know what’s going on other than that, to be honest. I don’t follow that much. At the end of the day, I’m a racing driver and it’s what I come here to do.” The controversy surrounding Horner remains a hot topic within Red Bull. However, Perez asserts that the team has moved past the controversy.
Max Verstappen stands by father Jos against Horner
The 3x champion has responded to his father Jos Verstappen’s criticism against the British team lead. Jos Verstappen’s remarks surfaced after the Bahrain Grand Prix as he was allegedly engaged in a heated debate with Horner. While the team is flying over to Jeddah for the upcoming race, Max Verstappen has stressed on limiting his attention to driving and performance.
🗣️ “It’s not our business.”
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen comments on how allegations against team principal Christian Horner have affected the team. pic.twitter.com/UBDGZiNI0e
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) March 2, 2024
During an engagement with the media, Verstappen revealed, “[Jos] is always very outspoken. He is not a liar, that’s for sure. My dad and I are very close…But I am not a guy who likes to speak a lot about certain stuff and I just want to focus on the driving and if there are issues we try to resolve it within the team. That is what I can say about things.”
The 26-year-old has made it apparent that his father Jos is not a representative of him or his views. Due to the recent controversies, Jos has decided to stay away from the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. It came as a ray of hope when Christian Horner met with Horner’s manager at Dubai to settle internal matters.