Red Bull boss Christian Horner insists that team orders between his two drivers are clear and that Sergio Perez “knows 100%” that he will be playing a support role to Max Verstappen this season.
Confusion still reigns over McLaren’s own Papaya Rules and just how and when Oscar Piastri will aid Lando Norris in his bid to overhaul the 62-point gap to Verstappen at the top of the drivers’ standings.
Heading into the Azerbaijan Grand Prix this weekend, Piastri has said he will help Norris if the opportunity calls for it, but Horner is happy that Perez understands his position at Red Bull.
The Mexican has struggled this season and there was speculation he would be dropped during the summer break, only to be retained for the rest of the year.
Perez famously played a rear-gunner role at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021 when Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton to the title in the most controversial of circumstances – and Horner expects similar this year.
“It depends where the others are,” he told Sky Sports F1 when asked if Red Bull would instigate team orders to put Verstappen in front of Perez.
“Team orders are always a contentious subject, but Checo knows 100% what his role and job is – to support Max to the end of this championship – and obviously the constructors'.
“We have seen him, you only have to think back to Abu Dhabi 2021 to see what a team player Checo is, so for us the game plan is pretty straightforward. I would love that headache to be managing on the last few laps!”
McLaren has been closing the gap to Red Bull in the constructors' standings as both Piastri and Norris have been scoring high in recent races, while Verstappen has been fighting solo as Perez has been off the pace.
However, Baku has been one of Perez’s happier hunting grounds in recent years and he has enjoyed more success in the Azeri capital than any other driver.
“I have no idea,” Horner conceded when asked just why Perez shines around the streets of Baku.
“It makes no logical sense in that it is high-speed straights with barriers, 90-degree corners, but he has always been magic around here. If he had a 24-race championship in Azerbaijan he would be pretty tough to beat. It is important to carry that momentum into the race.”
Perez’s own form has been under the spotlight given the gap in performance to Verstappen, however both Red Bulls struggled at the Italian Grand Prix a fortnight ago.
Verstappen’s own struggles highlighted that Red Bull has suffered a drop-off in pace and Horner feels that gave Perez new belief as it proved the issues were not down to his own performance.
“He has been walking a half-inch taller after that, it was sort of ‘look it is not just me’, and I think psychologically for him it has really lifted him – and there are a couple of tracks, we always knew that theoretically this track and Singapore should be two of his better circuits, and hopefully he can have a strong weekend.”
Perez was seventh fastest in FP3 ahead of qualifying on Saturday afternoon, while Verstappen was up in fifth, 0.348s behind pacesetter George Russell.
