F1 chief Horner admits Verstappen and Perez treatment different at Red Bull

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F1 chief Horner admits Verstappen and Perez treatment different at Red Bull

The two drivers have different roles within the team

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 17 January 2024 09:57

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Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has said that Max Verstappen does receive preferential treatment in his role as the team's star driver, but that it's nothing unusual and that Lewis Hamilton will enjoy the same luxuries at Mercedes.

Verstappen has now won three consecutive world championship titles, with Sergio Perez being his team-mate for all three of those seasons.

In that time, Verstappen has claimed 44 race victories, while Perez has only managed five.

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The Mexican driver has been under pressure to keep his seat at Red Bull and, heading into a season where his current contract will come to an end, he will need to perform much better if he's to have any chance of retaining his spot with the world champions.

Max Verstappen has won three consecutive world championship titles

Sergio Perez has struggled to keep up with his world champion team-mate Max Verstappen in the three seasons they have been team-mates

Christian Horner saw his drivers on the top step of the podium at every race bar one in 2023

Verstappen's preferential treatment

There has been much talk over the past few seasons about how similar the cars that Perez and Verstappen drive really are, with some suggesting that the RB19 was set up specifically to favour Verstappen's talents.

The 26-year-old managed to claim a record-breaking 19 victories throughout the season in what has been described as the 'most successful car in F1 history', while Perez only claimed two.

“Max came to us as a teenager, he's now a world champion," Horner told the Secrets of Success podcast about the difference between his two drivers.

"I think the same with Lewis Hamilton. He is now the most successful driver of all time, he will have more sway within his team than his team-mate because his value to the team is significantly greater.

“I think that it's a matter of keeping that thought in check. Of course, there will be certain privileges that are allowed to your centre forward, your star player, but he's still part of a team, there's no room for a prima donna because at that point, it becomes bigger than the team," he continued.

"So he can't achieve what he wants to without having the team behind him, without having the tools to provide the equipment and that's where it's a matter of achieving that balance, being respectful of the status that they've achieved, but also still recognising you're part of a team.”