Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has defended the decision to retain Sergio Pérez for the rest of the 2024 Formula 1 season, despite the Red Bull driver’s recent struggles, raising fresh doubts over Daniel Ricciardo’s position.
Lando Norris continued his scintillating qualifying form to win the second Grand Prix of his Formula 1 career and close the gap to just 70 points with his emerging rival Max Verstappen. It’s just the first time in six attempts that Norris was able to capitalise on pole position to take maximum points in Zandvoort, claiming the fastest lap of the day as the chequered flag fell.
Verstappen struggled to match the McLaren for speed and power, extending a poor slump halfway through the season and opening the door for the Papayas at the worst time of the campaign – and the poor performances from his teammate are threatening to derail Red Bull’s season.
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Although Sergio Pérez returned to the top six this weekend, the Red Bull driver isn’t performing anywhere near the level expected of a team fighting to defend its championship. With a resurgent McLaren finding another level at this crucial time, questions will have to be asked about Red Bull’s chances in the Constructors’, but Christian Horner has remained steadfast in his support of his second driver… and that could spell trouble for Australia’s favourite son, Daniel Ricciardo.
“I think that we know what Checo is capable of. We know that at the beginning of the year, he was scoring, what, four podiums in five races. And if we can get him back into… I think he’s just had a lack of confidence and has ended up in a bit of a spiral,” Horner declared.
“We’ve got the best two drivers we believe in this car, so we have all the data from all of the drivers. So, we have that information, and if we felt that there was something better, we would have changed it by now.
Away from the track, Checo is a money-printing machine; Sergio Pérez’s presence with Red Bull has significantly impacted the team’s commercial success in Mexico, as well as additional sponsorship deals for Red Bull throughout South America.
For all the talk of Ricciardo’s enduring commercial pull, Brand Checo is a tour de force, driving impressive growth in merchandise sales and regional brand recognition. His performances on the track may be stuttering this season, but it’s clear Sergio Pérez’s value extends far beyond his race results.
With Ricciardo still dreaming of a top-flight seat in Formula 1, the eight-time Grand Prix winner will simply have to continue to bide his time and take advantage of any opportunities in the ever-evolving driver market.