Christian Horner returns to the message sent to Pérez during the race in Baku

Can we once again talk about team instructions within the team? Red Bull in Azerbaijan? Although Sergio Pérez had seized the lead of the Grand Prix since his departure, the fifteenth lap of the race saw Verstappen take control in a duel (of short duration) between the two single-seaters of the team struck by the bull. If the difference in pace between the two drivers cast little doubt on the outcome of this battle, a radio message came to sow doubt about Sergio Pérez's real chances of defending against Verstappen. On arrival, of course, Christian Horner wanted to explain the purpose of the missive sent to the Mexican in Baku.

“2018 is not that far away in our minds”

While Ferrari seeks to solve its own problems, Red Bull continues to be a hit. On Sunday again, the Austrian team did not take long to seize the lead of the race, first through Sergio Pérez, then Verstappen on the fifteenth lap. If the Dutchman fell on the Mexican as the laps went on, this famous fifteenth loop quickly set the trend for the rest of the Grand Prix. Verstappen was too fast for the Ferraris, but also for Pérez. However, his teammate still had to endure the famous “No Racing” from his team, just as the world champion was taking his breather. An almost classic instruction in the world of F1, but which always raises questions when it comes to the lead of a Grand Prix.

“The difference in pace between the two drivers was too great, explains Christian Horner. We discussed it earlier and they were told, “If you're going to clash, give each other space” and that's what they did. You know, 2018 is not that far away in our minds, so it is very important that the drivers, at this stage of the championship, respect each other, because our priority is to maximize the points against Ferrari. We know they have a fast car, we know how quickly things can turn around. As a team we need to prioritize this. »

READ ALSO: Max Verstappen, winner in Baku: “Incredible pace”

Even beyond this instruction which was not really one, the pace displayed by Verstappen was far too great for the Mexican to be able to contain. It seems that the winner of the Monaco Grand Prix was too greedy at the start, trying to quickly distance himself from Charles Leclerc, relegated to second place after the first corner. But a difference in setup on the two cars in Baku could also be one of the reasons for the opposing pace between the two teammates, as Horner explains:

“In hindsight, coming to the end of this weekend, there was perhaps too much weight behind his qualifying settings [from Checo], given the deterioration of the rear tires that he experienced, he details. This is something that needs to be looked at because Max had better race pace than Checo at the end of his first stint. »

“It was just a matter of the car being faster and slower. Max had a significant advantage at that point, and Checo had quite significant degradation on his tires. »

“We asked them not to put us against the wall, especially if one car is faster than the other. “Let’s focus on getting the best result for the team.” Checo is a mature guy, he has an overview, he knows it's a long championship. He is in the form of his career, returning from Monaco and his performance in qualifying. »

Precisely, in this little game, the Mexican is making a significant comeback to play the leading roles. After winning his first race of the year in Monaco, Pérez also showed that he could surpass his teammate in qualifying, and regain credit in the eyes of a team focused almost exclusively on Verstappen for many seasons. Pérez has just overtaken Leclerc in the championship (129 points to 116), and the Canadian Grand Prix, in just six days, could allow him to confirm his current good form.

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