Christian Horner risks unleashing Sergio Perez’s wrath as he throws his weight behind Max Verstappen before a wheel has been turned. The Red Bull team principal said it was just “reality” that Verstappen was the team’s best bet to secure the world championship in 2023.
The remark appears to be Horner writing off Perez’s chances despite the Mexican pledging he is out to win in what will be his third season at the team. Horner told Auto Motor und Sport: “The form that Max has been in means he is the man to beat.
“He’s the reigning World Champion and Checo has to strive for that, otherwise, why is he competing? But I think the reality is that in all probability, Max over the season is likely to be the [better] candidate for the World Championship.
“But Checo has the capability to be right there, we need both drivers performing at the best of their ability for the Constructors’ Championship. Checo knows exactly what is expected from him, and being Max’s teammate is a pretty daunting prospect for any driver.”
READ MORE: Max Verstappen makes key change for 2023 season as he eyes third title
Team boss Christian Horner claimed the incident was not a team order and has defended Red Bull’s position. He stressed the squad did not favour one driver over another when Verstappen’s father Jos blasted the team after Perez’s win in Monaco.
However, Verstappen raised the tensions last season after ignoring team orders to let Perez through in Brazil. The Mexican stressed the decision showed who Verstappen “really is” while the reigning champion pointed the blame at Perez’s garage for a previous incident.
Perez has returned with fighting talk for 2023 in a hint he will not accax veept number two treatment anymore. He told RacingNews365: “I want to maximise the car potential, and I want to be fighting for the win every weekend. I’m really working hard for it, and that’s my main target.”
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