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Christian Horner had expected that Sergio Perez would be able to secure a victory at the F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Unfortunately, the Mexican driver faced unexpected situations and couldn’t extract the maximum from the race. Perez battled with Carlos Sainz in the final stages but ended up hitting the barrier.
In a media interview, Christian Horner emphasized that Perez is a driver who deserves much more and could have been on the podium. Perez, who has been facing a string of bad luck recently, will need to find a way to recover mentally from this setback.
“He deserved a lot more. Carlos drifts across the circuit.
Very disappointing. He should have, at least, been on the podium.
It destroyed the race for Checo, it did a lot of damage, and cost us vital points in the constructors’ championship.”-Sergio Perez said, as quoted by Crash.
The Red Bull team principal responded to the question of whether Perez could have matched Piastri’s pace and secured a victory. Horner was not optimistic that the Mexican driver could have achieved such a feat, citing several key factors that ultimately decided the outcome.
“Difficult. Unfortunately he lost quite a bit of time on his out-laps after Alex Albon."
Christian Horner acknowledged that the situation is heart-wrenching for the team but emphasized the need to come to terms with such challenges. Red Bull's leadership is aware of the ongoing crisis, which is already causing concern among fans. Although there were expectations that the Austrian team might excel on this track, it has become clear that Red Bull is facing a lot of issues that they will need to address.
“Then Lando cost him dearly which gave Oscar the track position.
Without that, he would have won the race today.
It’s one of those things that is heartbreaking for the team, to lose a podium in the dying laps of the race.”- he continued.
Horner explained that Perez was faster because he had a good rhythm and car setup. He mentioned that Perez’s car was really quick, while some adjustments made to Verstappen’s car didn’t work as well. The tires also got damaged from battling for so long.
Red Bull team principal pointed out that George Russell’s performance was different; he started off slowly but gradually picked up speed and had better tires toward the end. Overall, Horner found the situation very frustrating.
McLaren is currently leading the Constructors' Championship, but Horner emphasizes that there are many races left in the season. This race isn't decisive and doesn’t end the season. Christian Horner, while disappointed, had hoped things would turn out better for his team. The only thing he can do now is hope for improved results and solutions to their problems in the upcoming races.
Sergio Perez reacted
Sergio Perez was visibly frustrated after the race and immediately addressed the accident that occurred. The Mexican driver had expected much more from this race and hoped to make a huge leap forward. In an interview with Sky Sports, the 34-year-old driver pointed the finger at Carlos Sainz, believing that Sainz’s mistake may have cost him the victory.
“In my opinion, Carlos moved too quickly to follow the tow from Charles.
It was the wrong time, wrong moment.
It resulted in a huge shunt.”
The 34-year-old from Guadalajara is disappointed, especially now that McLaren has overtaken Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship. The Mexican driver feels it's shameful how things turned out and is left almost speechless. Perez had been optimistic before the race, believing that it suited Red Bull's cars. Experiencing such a setback when expecting much more is definitely frustrating.
Looking ahead, Perez is focused on the upcoming race in Singapore, where he won in 2022. He believes this race could provide the confidence they need, considering they have a strong foundation for success there. However, he remains cautious, acknowledging that there is still a lot of work ahead for him and his team. Perez also mentioned Max Verstappen, who finished in fifth place, and emphasized that they need to correct their mistakes.
“Plenty of work to do, going forwards.”- Perez said.
It must be admitted that things are not going Perez’s way this season, and he will need to put in a huge effort as the season progresses to turn things around. His teammate, who is still leading the championship, is losing some of his advantage, but fortunately, he has a substantial lead that he must work to maintain.
Rival teams, particularly McLaren and Ferrari, are closely watching the situation. They believe the moment has come for Red Bull to become a thing of the past and for them to emerge as the dominant teams on the F1 tracks.
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