Horner reveals details of Perez conversation after Red Bull nightmare

Jay Winter
Tuesday 7 November 2023 10:12

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has revealed that he encouraged Sergio Perez to 'turn the page' after he crashed out of his home grand prix in Mexico.

Perez tried to go around the outside of both Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc at the first corner but turned into the Ferrari, causing damage to his RB19.

The 33-year-old was then forced to retire the car, continuing his run of poor results for Red Bull.

But with speculation continuing to dog Perez, who is said to be battling to protect his race seat for next year, Horner's message to his driver was simple.

"I was like 'Checo, just turn the page,'" Horner told Sky Sports.

"'It's done. You can't change it. Take the positives out of the weekend and apply them.'"

READ MORE: Christian Horner: The Red Bull giant and ‘Drive to Survive’ star

Perez's perseverance

Horner underlined one of Perez's qualities, his ability to bounce back. This was demonstrated when the Mexican enjoyed a return to form in the sprint in Brazil.

"He's bought that here, one of his real strengths is when you think he’s down, he manages to pick himself up, brush himself down, and he has got a resilience," Horner added.

Perez will be looking to seal as many points as possible with only two more grands prix left in the season, as Red Bull look to claim their first ever 1-2 in the drivers' championship.

READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Verstappen setup quirk which allows Red Bull to make car even faster