Despite Red Bull’s near-perfect run towards its second consecutive Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship, Christian Horner has thrown down the gauntlet for second driver Sergio Pérez to improve on his runners-up position last season, opening the door for another driver to take his seat.
Those making the baseless arguments that the 2024 Formula 1 season is destined to be as predictable as the one just gone simply haven’t been paying attention. Although Max Verstappen delivered yet another masterclass in the RB19, this season will see a whole new host of moving parts within the high-octane world of F1.
The assumed finish of three-time World Champion, Max Verstappen, out in P1 is often overlooked by the enduring battle for the spots further down the grid. With a resurgent McLaren and a faltering Mercedes and Ferrari, the gulf in quality at the top is stark; and the stuttering performances of Red Bull’s second driver are only putting the team’s hierarchy on high alert.
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Sergio Pérez is driving for his life; finishing second only to the unrelenting talent of Max Verstappen was enough to secure his future for another year, but with his contract expiring at the end of the next Formula 1 season, the Red Bull driver knows he has a huge year ahead of him if he wants to keep his place on the grid.
“It’s Checo’s seat,” Horner refutely claimed to PlanetF1. “He’s in the car because we believe he’s the right driver now. It’s down to him over the next nine months to demonstrate that we feel that way for 2025.”
Red Bull’s abundance of resources primarily goes to keeping Max Verstappen at the front of the chasing pack. The Dutch superstar turned the screw in 2023 and delivered a third consecutive world title for his team; his form was at such a higher level than the rest of the grid that, at times, Verstappen’s consistent brilliance was perhaps overlooked by the pure predictability of it all.
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Red Bull’s unprecedented 21 race wins in 2023 set a new record in Formula 1, eclipsing the existing record of 19 wins set by Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg during Mercedes’ era of dominance.
Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez managed to secure victory in 95.45% of the season to win the Constructors’ Championships with 860 points – both record-breaking figures for the history books – but Christian Horner wants more.
Red Bull’s main concern will be increasing the gap between its drivers and the rest of the teams and Horner has thrown down the gauntlet for his second driver, identifying exactly where he needs to improve.
“Of course, we’ve got great talent in the pool with Daniel [Ricciardo], with Liam [Lawson], with Yuki [Tsunoda], Horner continued. “So time will tell. The area that he needs to focus on improving [this] year is going to be Saturdays. Making sure that his average qualifying is a lot closer to Max because we know he can race and he’s got great pace, but we need him to be starting further up the grid.”
Whilst it’s clear that Red Bull isn’t short on quality in its ranks and with the news that the Austrian outfit is converging with its sister team AlphaTauri at its Milton Keynes HQ for the new season, it’s not only Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo waiting in the wings.
Bring on 2024.