SUMMARY
- Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is facing an investigation for alleged misconduct.
- Despite allegations, Perez backs him amid fan backlashes.
Internal conflict is brewing at Red Bull Racing as investigations target team principal Christian Horner for alleged misconduct with a female employee, while plans are underway to replace Sergio Perez. The Mexican driver is on the blacklist along with many others whose contracts will terminate by the end of the 2024 season. However, Perez refuses to let go of his loyalty towards Horner.
The British team lead has been under scrutiny lately although he has denied all allegations against him. Despite the ongoing inquiry, Horner attended the launch of Red Bull’s RB20 which raised a few eyebrows. While the fans are fuming over the allegations, the 34-year-old driver backed Horner against the claims and insisted on maintaining the unity of the team.
It is also interesting to note that the Bull’s star driver, Max Verstappen voiced his opinions on the matter amidst their deteriorating relationship.
Sergio Perez came to the rescue of Christian Horner
The Mexican has a rocky road ahead of him while the 2024 campaign is drawing closer. Perez had a rather disappointing year last season given his lackluster performance. However, there has been mounting pressure on him if he wishes to extend his contract beyond this year. While the contractual drama was going on, the driver highlighted Horner’s role in shaping the team.
Perez on the Horner allegations:
“We just want to go racing; we are a race team. We want the whole team to stay together because we’ve been so successful. It will be ideal just to keep the whole thing together and just focus on racing…We know that Christian is a key player in
— The F1 Journal (@thef1journal_) February 16, 2024
Perez said, “We want the whole team to stay together because we’ve been so successful, and he will be able to just keep the whole team together and focus on racing. Obviously, there are some things out there, but the most important is we stick together as a team.” Naturally, fans were not pleased by such comments as the Briton is being investigated for “sexual misconduct”.
He further added, “We work well, and the main goal [is] remembering we are here for racing — we are a race team and we love it… and we know that Christian is a key player in our organization.” The inquiry has not ended yet with any official statement to prove whether the allegations were legitimate or not.
The Mexican driver revealed his 2024 wish
Ahead of the critical season, Sergio Perez expressed his desire to continue his journey with Red Bull for the years to come. The #11 driver managed to secure second place in the drivers’ standings and claimed victories in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan in the previous campaign. However, around the mid-season, his performance saw a terrible dip without getting past the qualifying and doubts about his future with the team.
Sergio Perez hopes to secure a multi-year Red Bull contract extension…#sergioperez #RedBullRacing #Formula1 #F1 pic.twitter.com/q0Xvg0ICm1
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) February 17, 2024
However, according to Perez, “I think I’m in a great team, obviously. Being part of the Red Bull family has been amazing. We’ll see what the future holds. For now, I’m fully focused on the start of the year and ideally [it] will be to carry on for more years in this team.”
The Austrian outfit has been exploring its options for the 2025 driver line-up with Alex Albon as their top pick. The major reshuffle that happened lately has brought in a new contender, former Red Bull driver Carlos Sainz. Nevertheless, it is all up to Perez now if he manages to impress the team and bag a contract extension.