The road not taken: Horner on Red Bull's Perez decision
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Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has admitted that it is "impossible to know" whether replacing Sergio Perez mid-season in 2024 would have allowed the team to defend its Constructors' Championship.
While Max Verstappen clinched his fourth consecutive Drivers' title, Red Bull ultimately fell short in the teams' standings, defeated by both McLaren, which secured its first Constructors' crown since 1998, and Ferrari.
The Dutchman owed his title to Red Bull's strong opening drive, which saw Verstappen win seven of the first ten races.
Perez's Declining Performance
But Perez's season was a tale of two halves. The Mexican started strongly, with notable performances in the early races.
However, his form dramatically declined from the Monaco Grand Prix onwards, leading to a substantial loss of points for the team.
This downturn prompted Red Bull to consider replacing him during the summer break, with Daniel Ricciardo being a potential candidate.
Ultimately, the team chose to stick with Perez, hoping he could rediscover his earlier form. This decision, as Horner admits, didn't pay off.
The Turning point for Perez
"It's always easy to look with hindsight, and it's impossible to know what anybody else would have done in that car," Horner said in an interview with PlanetF1.
"I mean, Sergio started the season so well – second in Bahrain, second in Jeddah, and tremendously fast in Japan, which is an ultimate driver's circuit."
The turning point, according to Horner, was the Monaco Grand Prix, where Perez's form took a significant downturn.
"From Monte Carlo on, the wheels came off his campaign and, from that point onwards, we just haemorrhaged too many points," he admitted.
Despite Verstappen's continued success, Red Bull struggled to maintain its advantage.
"We won more races than any other team this year by a significant margin and had as many pole positions [as McLaren]," Horner noted.
"Third in the Constructors' Championship and, when you look at the deficit from the second car, obviously it's just been too broad, especially from that point in the year.
"That was something that we tried to understand and we were working very hard with Sergio to try and assist some of the issues he had.
"But it was very expensive in terms of points lost in the Constructors' Championship."
Perez's Past Contributions Warranted Status Quo
Reflecting on Red Bull's decision to retain Perez through the season, Horner acknowledged that the contract renewal in June had not produced the intended results.
However, he emphasized that Perez's previous contributions to the team warranted an opportunity to rediscover his form.
"Look at what Sergio has done for us over the last four years," Horner said. "We really wanted to try and help turn his year around."
Hornercited Perez's previous successes, including his role in Verstappen's 2021 championship win and Red Bull's back-to-back Constructors' titles in 2022 and 2023.
"He finished second in the World Championship in 2023 and he's won five races in our car and played a key role in the Constructors' Championships in 2022 and '23," Horner elaborated.
"He played an important role in the '21 Drivers' Championship as well.
"So there was a loyalty to try and really help Checo. But you know, unfortunately, it didn't materialise," Horner concluded.
While the team now looks ahead to 2025 with Lawson partnering Verstappen, the lingering question remains: would an earlier change have secured Red Bull a third consecutive Constructors' title?
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