F1 boss Christian Horner opens up on Sergio Perez MISTAKE as sack rumors continue

Red Bull

Horner opens up on Perez MISTAKE as sack rumors continue

Christian Horner gave Sergio Perez a new contract earlier in the season

By Sam Cook.

Friday 13 December 2024 20:00

Red Bull Formula 1 boss Christian Horner has admitted that the team made an error in their handling of Sergio Perez in 2024.

Perez is widely expected to be replaced by the team this winter, despite having signed a contract extension through the 2026 season earlier this year.

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The Mexican racer managed to secure four podiums from his first five races of the season, but failed to deliver another one throughout 2024, instead finishing eighth in the drivers' championship having scored just 13 points from the final nine events of the season.

Perez's early season form prompted Red Bull to hand him a contract extension, until the end of the 2026 season, but the speculation surrounding his position alongside Max Verstappen has still been rife.

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Sergio Perez finished 285 points behind Max Verstappen at Red Bull

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34-year-old Perez has not won a race since the 2023 Azerbaijan GP, while Verstappen has managed 26 victories in that time, driving the same machinery as Perez.

Now, Horner has suggested that it may have been a mistake to offer Perez a contract so early on in the season, claiming it 'didn't work'.

"Well, obviously at the time, Sergio was performing extremely well," Horner told media during the Abu Dhabi GP weekend.

"I think he had four podiums in the first five races, and in order to settle his mind and extend that run of form for the rest of the season, we elected to go early, which obviously didn't work.

"So, that's just life sometimes. And I think Checo, you have to look beyond this year for the contribution that he's made to our team. He's been a great team player. He's a great person. He's extremely popular within the team. He's worked very hard over the four years that he's been with us, and, yeah, he's played a vital role in the constructors' championships that we've won, the five grand prix victories that he had in our car.

"It's been the most successful pairing that we've ever had finishing first and second in the drivers' championship last year. So I think nobody more is frustrated with the results than Checo, from his own high standards."

Red Bull Max Verstappen Christian Horner Sergio Perez