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Christian Horner has launched a staunch defence of Purple Bull’s determination to retain Sergio Perez for the rest of the 2024 season – insisting the group has “the 2 finest drivers” for the present automobile.
With team-mate Max Verstappen main the drivers’ championship and regardless of Horner admitting Perez has been caught in a “spiral” amid latest struggles, the group caught by the Mexican and threw its help behind him through the summer time break.
Perez was set for 2 key races in Hungary and Belgium to indicate indicators of his previous self, however one other qualifying crash in Budapest undid what appeared like a extra promising weekend and relegated him to preventing in one other comeback race from sixteenth to seventh.
In a moist qualifying at Spa, Perez did properly to qualify third, which grew to become second on the grid after a grid penalty for Verstappen. However Perez was one of many drivers handed by the Dutchman on his option to take fifth and was relegated to a disappointing eighth on the end.
On the Dutch Grand Prix, the place Perez is again in motion for the primary time because the determination was taken to not substitute him, Horner provided an impassioned rationalization for sticking with the beleaguered driver.
When requested by Sky Sports activities why Perez had been given extra time, Horner replied: “Who would you modify it for? Why would you modify it?
“Look, I believe that we all know what Checo is able to. We all know that originally of the 12 months, he was scoring, what, 4 podiums in 5 races. And if we will get him again into… I believe he is simply had a insecurity and has ended up in a little bit of a spiral.
Christian Horner, Staff Principal, Purple Bull Racing
Photograph by: Purple Bull Content material Pool
“We have one of the best two drivers we consider on this automobile, so we now have all the information from all the drivers. So, we now have that data, and if we felt that there was one thing higher, we might have modified it by now.
“We consider that what we now have is able to defending the championship. It completed first and second in final 12 months’s championship. It completed first and third within the 12 months earlier than. And clearly received in 21 as properly.”
Perez as soon as once more struggled for tempo at Zandvoort, ending down in twelfth throughout a rain-affected FP1 and remaining there after FP2, the place he additionally had a few journeys throughout the gravel.
Horner, although, feels there’s a run of races after the Netherlands the place Perez may have one of the best likelihood of discovering his type.
“I believe he is had a little bit of a reset,” he defined. “Hopefully over the summer time break, we all know that there is tracks that he is received at popping out, we have got Azerbaijan, the place he is received each dash race and grand prix on the identical weekend.
“He is received one other unbelievable race in Singapore in opposition to Charles Leclerc in blended situations. He is been very fast at Monza.
“Zandvoort hasn’t been his finest circuit. So, of the 4 races developing earlier than the subsequent mini break, I’d say that is his most difficult one.”
The Mexican Grand Prix takes place on October 25, the place Perez will probably be cheered on by a partisan crowd in entrance of a variety of the Mexican sponsors his presence has introduced into Purple Bull.
Horner, although, mentioned retaining Perez had nothing to do with the very fact the race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez was nonetheless to come back.
Sergio Perez, Purple Bull Racing
Photograph by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
“No, no. It is all about efficiency,” he mentioned. “So, for us, we have got the 2 drivers that we consider in our pool of drivers are probably the most able to giving us one of the best outcomes. If there was a doubt in that, then we might have modified it.
“It is a stress enterprise, and all of the drivers know they’re beneath stress to ship. And that is Formulation 1, that is up and down the grid. So Checo. We all know what he is able to.
“When he is performing, we all know what he is able to delivering. And we simply have to get him again in that window, and we’re doing one of the best that we will to provide him the automobile that offers him that confidence.
“You are very fast to sentence Sergio. We’re making an attempt our hardest to provide him the possibility to rediscover that type. And he has to deal with all of the stress from the media, all of the social media that piles in on the again of that.
“He is a driver that is able to bouncing again, and we’re giving him our full help, and wish to see him reply.”
Having failed to interrupt into the highest 10 on a troublesome Friday, Horner will little doubt be demanding extra from Perez heading into the enterprise finish of the race weekend.
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