The question of the future surrounding Red Bull driver Sergio Pérez is currently dominating the headlines in Formula 1. Recently, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton also took a closer look at the fate of the Mexican who was counted out and complained that the 33-year-old received too little support from his racing team. The Red Bull team boss couldn’t let that sit and now hit back with a smug counterattack against the F1 record champion.
Will Sergio Pérez really continue in Formula 1 at Red Bull? The final answer to this question will only be available when the Mexican actually continues to sit in the cockpit of the Austrian racing team at the beginning of 2024, as team boss Christian Horner has repeatedly emphasized as the desired goal in recent weeks.
But Pérez’s place is by no means guaranteed. The 33-year-old’s performance was too inconsistent and too many rumors are currently doing the rounds – also because Red Bull itself has repeatedly publicly counted the veteran in the recent past. Motorsport consultant Helmut Marko, in particular, rarely held back criticism.
This was recently noticed by Pérez’s competitor Lewis Hamilton, who told the newspaper “Esto” on the sidelines of the Mexican Grand Prix: “I think his team isn’t helping him at all. I know that Red Bull consists of many members, but there are people who influence him psychologically and do not support him.” However, the Mercedes driver did not give any specific names.
However, he added: “If I heard something so negative, it would be very difficult. So he is in a very complicated environment.”
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner couldn’t let this analysis sit. “It’s very nice that Lewis has so much care and attention [für Pérez] Horner hit back at “motorsportweek.com” with some irony and added smugly: “A few weeks ago he questioned the validity of Checo as Max Verstappen’s teammate.”
Formula 1: Horner brushes aside Pérez rumors
Horner also relegated the many speculations about a possible early exit for Pérez – despite his contract for 2024 – and Hamilton’s assumption that Pérez would not get enough support to the realm of fairy tales.
“Look, there are always rumors circulating in this paddock, especially when there is hardly anything to report,” said the Briton, adding: “Pérez has a great relationship with the team, a strong relationship with his teammate, and we want that he will come second in the championship.”
In order to achieve the big goal of a (previously unattainable) double victory in the Drivers’ World Championship, the Mexican needs the necessary support, says Horner.