Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez helped Red Bull achieve their first one-two finish last season. Despite ending the season on a winning note, the gap between the two Red Bull drivers was very prominent. Fans and experts can’t help but wonder why Checo has fallen so far behind. They drive the same car, and the RB19 has been the fastest F1 machine arguably ever. Clearly, no other team came close to the pace of the Austrian team’s car last season.
It has been the case for the last few seasons. But questions keep coming up about why Checo is not able to use the Red Bull car to dominate like his teammate. Moreover, things get even tougher for Checo to handle as he faces the question of replacement every now and then. Anyway, the chemistry between the two Red Bull drivers took a wrong turn back in the 2022 Brazilian GP.
Christian Horner Reveals How The Dispute Between Checo And Max In Brazil 2022 Led On?
Red Bull faced a question of unity and reputation in the Brazilian Grand Prix over a year ago. Mercedes won the race in Brazil back in 2022. But Christian Horner had to deal with a bigger problem. Max Verstappen had already secured his second Driver’s championship. However, he disobeyed his team’s order to slow down for his teammate. That behavior only worsened his negative reputation. After that race, Sergio Perez mentioned Max showed who he really is. Moreover, Checo had said if Max had two titles, then it was thanks to him. Anyhow, Christian Horner later asked the two drivers to patch things up. However, it has been more than a year later, and Max Verstappen has added one more title to his cabinet.
Recently, in an interview with the Secrets of Success podcast, the Red Bull boss talked about the 2022 dispute between the two drivers. Horner mentioned it is always frustrating when something like that happens in public. Moreover, the Red Bull boss believes it is important to discuss and understand what was going on in the mind during such events. Also, Horner added that most of the truth comes out at the right forum and not always in public. Moreover, Horner said the team learned an important lesson and would like not to repeat such mistakes in the future.
Why Has Max Verstappen Been The Biggest Factor For Red Bull’s Success In Recent Years?
In 2021, Max Verstappen ended the hegemony of Lewis Hamilton. That year, he won his maiden title. But Red Bull had to wait till the next year to overthrow their rivals, Mercedes. Since 2013, Red Bull has been waiting for eight years to win a constructor title again. There was just one team that was stopping them from doing so. But when Mercedes messed up their car since the introduction of the cost cap era, Christian Horner’s outfit got back their dominance.
Moreover, they have provided drivers with the fastest cars in back-to-back seasons. However, if it was not for Max Verstappen, the Austrian team may not have won so many races because Sergio Perez only won four races since 2022. On the other hand, Verstappen won 15 in 2022 and 19 in 2023. Clearly, he has been the most dominant driver in recent times.