The ongoing drama surrounding Sergio Pérez and his future with Red Bull remains the dominant storyline as the 2023 Formula 1 season winds down. While Pérez remains second in the Drivers’ Championship, 30 points clear of Lewis Hamilton, and he contributed to Red Bull’s second-straight Constructors’ Championship, inconsistent performances — particularly during qualifying — have opened the door to furious debate about his future with the team beyond 2023.
While Pérez is under contract with Red Bull through the 2024 campaign, questions about his status may very well dominate the offseason, particularly if Pérez sees his lead over Hamilton slip away down the stretch.
Now, it seems the driver himself is doing his homework to prevent that from happening. His boss, Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner, sat down for an interview with the Mirror this week. Horner spoke at length about Pérez and his future with the team, and outlined the steps the driver is taken to solidify his spot in the standings.
“He was on the simulator for three days last week, which is not something he has ever done previously,” said Horner.
“Three days in succession to try to help him to get to the root cause of some of the issues he felt he had in Qatar and Japan,” added the Red Bull boss. “I think he made some great progress so, hopefully, that will come to the fore this weekend. He’s going the extra yard, which is so important.”
Horner also brushed aside any notion that Pérez’s future with the team is contingent on remaining in second place in the Drivers’ Championship.
“It’s not something that we have discussed or even contemplated,” said Horner regarding such rumors. “Checo is our driver and we want to support him in the best way that we can.
“We believe that he can achieve that second place in the championship but he is up against tough competitors with a lot of racing still to go. We selected Checo in the first place because of his experience and his ability to be able to deal with pressure,” added Horner. “He did a lot for us in ‘21 and ‘22, contributing to the constructors’ championship last year and this year with the victories he has achieved.”
In addition, what is often lost in the Pérez discussion is how successful his season has been. He is, after all, still in second place in the Drivers’ Championship. He is just one of three drivers to win a race this season, and is one of the five drivers to secure a pole position this year. He also, as Horner noted, helped the team secure their second-straight Constructors’ title.
There are probably a dozen — or more — drivers who would love that kind of season on the grid right now.
“We know what Checo is capable of and we know that qualifying tends to be his weakness, but when racing he comes alive on a Sunday afternoon. He’s demonstrated that time and time again,” said Horner. “We have six one-two finishes this year, he’s won two Grands Prix and he’s still second in the world championship 30 points ahead of Lewis Hamilton. It’s not all been bad!”
Still, the questions will linger, particularly if Pérez indeed falters down the stretch. However, in contrast with the swirling rumors, his boss — and by his extension his team — will stick by him.
“We know what he is capable of and we haven’t seen that for the last couple of races. We want to support him to make sure he gets back to that early-season form,” added Horner.
