Red Bull F1 team principal Christian Horner says last year’s ownership dispute between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez was a mistake on the team’s part, as the team prepares to defend its title this year. He insisted that there was no animosity between them.
In the 2022 F1 World Championship, Red Bull Racing won the double title with overwhelming strength, winning 17 out of 23 races.
However, at the F1 Brazilian Grand Prix, a dispute over team orders broke out between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, and dark clouds gathered.
On the final lap of the F1 Brazilian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen was asked by his team to give way to help Sergio Perez, who was battling Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for second place in the championship, but finished sixth. refused to give up.
After the race, Verstappen told the team radio: “I told you last summer, don’t say that again…I explained why and I stand by it. ” Sergio Pérez complained that “his true nature came out”.
But Red Bull F1 team principal Christian Horner says both drivers and the team as a whole have washed it all down.
“I think the root cause of this problem is that we didn’t expect to be in sixth and seventh place in the last few laps of that grand prix,” said Horner.
“And that’s something we didn’t anticipate before the race, something we didn’t discuss.”
“So I think it was a mistake as a team that we didn’t have a conversation and have a clear plan. Of course, it’s a shame what happened, but we talked about it right away and made it open and transparent. , both drivers were very clear, open and honest with each other and from there we moved forward as a team and the dynamism between the drivers is absolutely fine.”
“We made some mistakes in Brazil, but we learned from them and moved on. “These guys are the reason we’re where we are. Max’s season was on another level, so a few laps in Brazil won’t define our year.”
Red Bull Racing’s 17 wins in 2022 were the second most successful season in F1 history by a constructor, behind only Mercedes’ 19 wins in 2016, but Christian Horner says it wasn’t easy.
“It’s been a very tough year,” admitted Horner.
“Looking at the stats, it looks like we’ve completely dominated. But certainly Ferrari had a chance in the first half of the season and maybe a faster package too. The first half was outstanding.”
