Formula 1 team boss Christian Horner sees that it was Red Bull’s mistake in Verstappen-Pérez team order row. Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez’s situation in the closing stages of the Brazilian Grand Prix was a mistake for Red Bull Racing, according to Christian Horner.
Verstappen refused to surrender sixth place to Perez, who had the potential to benefit from a better final position as he looked towards the championship battle for second place.
Horner reflects on the moment on Formula One’s official website.
“I think the cause of the problem was that we never expected to be in a situation where we were sixth and seventh in the final laps of that Grand Prix. We hadn’t imagined it, we hadn’t discussed it before the race.
“I think it was a mistake on our part to think about, or try to think about, every single scenario.”
Horner dismisses doubts over Red Bull team dynamics
The incident led to Verstappen being labelled as a bad team-mate, with questions being asked as to why the Dutchman had refused to give up his place. The team dynamic also seemed to be in question.
“Obviously what happened was unfortunate, but it was discussed quickly, openly and transparently,” Horner explained.
“And both drivers were very clear, open and honest with each other, and from there we moved on as a team and the dynamic between the drivers is absolutely fine.”
“We made mistakes, but we also learned from them,” continued the Red Bull Team Principal.
The British man doesn’t think this moment should define his team’s year.
“These two drivers have done incredibly well together. They are the reason we are in the position we are in. Max’s season has been otherworldly. So we’re not going to let the events of a few laps in Brazil define the year for us.”
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It’s not really a falling out. Red Bull want Max to win it’s as simple as that and Perez is seen as a supporting driver and is expected to be second, that’s his job for Red Bull regardless of any other reports. The falling out is more along the lines of Perez being able to clearly see this but doesn’t want to say it or he will be moved on. Danny Ric left Red Bull for that specific reason as Red Bull were designing their car to suit Max more than Danny and he saw that as unfair given he outperformed Max when the car was not geared up for him. It’s back to the Schumacher era where a driver has a lot of sway with the team they are in which is due to exceptional talent and that tem want to maximize it. Ferrari at least we’re open and honest about it where as Red Bull want everyone to think it’s all a level playing field. Funny how there are rarely the same errors and issues with Max, that always seem to befall Perez like the so called “mistakes” made by the team.