Miami, the turning point of the championship according to Horner: “Pérez had an open goal”

The 2023 season of Formula 1 is not yet over and the first reports of the year are already coming out. It must be said that with only two rounds remaining on the calendar, and the two titles already played since October, the accounts can be reported relatively quickly. At the house of Red Bull, the observation is clear: a dominating RB19 as has rarely been seen in the history of Formula 1, a Max Verstappen at the top of his art with multiple records broken in 2023… and a Sergio Pérez who suffered alongside him.

Before the penultimate race of the year, the observation from an accounting point of view is striking: with “only” two victories, the Mexican has less than half of the points scored by his teammate and his seventeen victories. However, it’s not for lack of a successful start to the season! “Checo” seemed well on track to stand up to Verstappen in 2023, with two successes in the first four Grands Prix.

A morale blow for Pérez in Miami?

Unfortunately, in Miami, in the first real confrontation on the track between the two Red Bull teammates, Sergio Pérez lost his duel against Max Verstappen. A defeat which, according to Christian Horner, marks the turning point of the season. “I think there was a defining moment this year, in Miami, where Sergio had an open goal, declared the boss of the Austrian team. He had won two races in Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia, and you could see his confidence was high. Max won that race [in Miami], after being surprised by a red flag in qualifying, starting from 9th position. He took the lead in a very short time [with ten laps to go] and I think mentally it was quite brutal for Checo to deal with. »

A blow to morale which did not improve in Monaco, where Sergio Pérez – winner in the Principality in 2022 – had experienced an ordeal on Saturday with a crash in Q1 which forced him to start last and fail to register points on Sunday. Unable to get on the same level as Max Verstappen since then, the Mexican has had a series of poor performances, moving further away from his teammate in the championship each weekend.

Horner still defends his driver

Still according to the Red Bull Team Principal, “Being Max Verstappen’s teammate is probably the hardest job in the paddock”, defending his driver despite numerous rumors of an anticipated breakup between Red Bull and Sergio Pérez. For Christian Horner, the mentality of the now three-time reigning world champion is exceptional and pushes his teammates to make mistakes.

“[Max Verstappen] operates at such a high level and it’s relentless, considers the British leader. The mental skill that you need to be able to deal with that every time you see a piece of data, you're like, 'Wow, how did he do that?'. It takes a certain strength of character to face it. The form he's been in for three or four years, he's operating at such a high level that it would be difficult for any driver on the grid. »

For Sergio Pérez, the last two rounds of the season will be essential, even vital, to reassure his level for 2024. In Brazil, the six-time Grand Prix winner seemed to find better sensations with a 3rd place in the Sprint and a 4th in the race. “If you look at Checo's performances in the first part of the year, you will see that he was very close to Max. (…) In Azerbaijan, he won the Sprint and the Grand Prix. That's the kind of performance we know he's capable of. I think it's just about getting him back into that mindset and getting the best out of him to get him back to that level of performance.", declared Christian Horner, to give his driver confidence.

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