Christian Horner has launched a staunch defence of Pink Bull’s choice to retain Sergio Perez for the rest of the 2024 season – insisting the workforce has “the 2 greatest drivers” for the present automotive.
With team-mate Max Verstappen main the drivers’ championship and regardless of Horner admitting Perez has been caught in a “spiral” amid latest struggles, the workforce caught by the Mexican and threw its assist behind him in the course of the summer season break.
Perez was set for 2 key races in Hungary and Belgium to point out indicators of his previous self, however one other qualifying crash in Budapest undid what seemed like a extra promising weekend and relegated him to combating in one other comeback race from sixteenth to seventh.
In a moist qualifying at Spa, Perez did nicely to qualify third, which grew to become second on the grid after a grid penalty for Verstappen. However Perez was one of many drivers handed by the Dutchman on his option to take fifth and was relegated to a disappointing eighth on the end.
On the Dutch Grand Prix, the place Perez is again in motion for the primary time for the reason that choice was taken to not change him, Horner supplied an impassioned rationalization for sticking with the beleaguered driver.
When requested by Sky Sports activities why Perez had been given extra time, Horner replied: “Who would you alter it for? Why would you alter it?
“Look, I feel that we all know what Checo is able to. We all know that at first of the yr, he was scoring, what, 4 podiums in 5 races. And if we will get him again into… I feel he is simply had a insecurity and has ended up in a little bit of a spiral.
Christian Horner, Group Principal, Pink Bull Racing
Picture by: Pink Bull Content material Pool
“We have the most effective two drivers we imagine on this automotive, so we now have all the info from the entire drivers. So, we now have that info, and if we felt that there was one thing higher, we’d have modified it by now.
“We imagine that what we now have is able to defending the championship. It completed first and second in final yr’s championship. It completed first and third within the yr earlier than. And clearly gained in 21 as nicely.”
Perez as soon as once more struggled for tempo at Zandvoort, ending down in twelfth throughout a rain-affected FP1 and remaining there after FP2, the place he additionally had a few journeys throughout the gravel.
Horner, although, feels there’s a run of races after the Netherlands the place Perez can have the most effective probability of discovering his type.
“I feel he is had a little bit of a reset,” he defined. “Hopefully over the summer season break, we all know that there is tracks that he is gained at popping out, we have got Azerbaijan, the place he is gained each dash race and grand prix on the identical weekend.
“He is gained one other improbable race in Singapore towards Charles Leclerc in combined circumstances. He is been very fast at Monza.
“Zandvoort hasn’t been his greatest circuit. So, of the 4 races developing earlier than the subsequent mini break, I might say that is his most difficult one.”
The Mexican Grand Prix takes place on October 25, the place Perez will probably be cheered on by a partisan crowd in entrance of various the Mexican sponsors his presence has introduced into Pink Bull.
Horner, although, mentioned retaining Perez had nothing to do with the actual fact the race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez was nonetheless to return.
Sergio Perez, Pink Bull Racing
Picture by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Photographs
“No, no. It is all about efficiency,” he mentioned. “So, for us, we have got the 2 drivers that we imagine in our pool of drivers are essentially the most able to giving us the most effective outcomes. If there was a doubt in that, then we’d have modified it.
“It is a strain enterprise, and all of the drivers know they’re beneath strain to ship. And that is Method 1, that is up and down the grid. So Checo. We all know what he is able to.
“When he is performing, we all know what he is able to delivering. And we simply have to get him again in that window, and we’re doing the most effective that we will to provide him the automotive that provides him that confidence.
“You are very fast to sentence Sergio. We’re attempting our hardest to provide him the prospect to rediscover that type. And he has to deal with all of the strain from the media, all of the social media that piles in on the again of that.
“He is a driver that is able to bouncing again, and we’re giving him our full assist, and wish to see him reply.”
Having failed to interrupt into the highest 10 on a troublesome Friday, Horner will little question be demanding extra from Perez heading into the enterprise finish of the race weekend.
