Sergio Perez scored his fourth podium of the season at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas on Sunday. The Mexican driver, who finished P3, did not have the easiest drive as he had no water throughout the race. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner also praised the Mexican for putting up a very physical performance in the race.

To put in the context of how amazing Checo’s performance was, the track temperature on Sunday was the highest for the US GP since F1 started racing in COTA. It is a very demanding circuit and not having a drink certainly took a toll on Checo. He was exhausted after the race and later revealed he had been under the weather the whole weekend.

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Christian Horner says Sergio Perez’s confidence is growing

As reported by Motorsport.com, the Red Bull team principal Christian Horner mentioned that it would have been brutal to take the podium away from Checo. He stated the team did not consider pitting Perez to take the fastest lap.

“It would have been brutal to pit Checo and take him off the podium. Leclerc was obviously too close behind. In the collective position of the team, it was better for Checo to take the points. So that’s what we did,” said Horner.

In another chat, Horner further analyzed his performance and stated that Perez’s confidence was growing in the car.

The Red Bull principal said, “The way he managed the race, you could see his confidence is growing. That’s the second race in a row he’s on the podium now. His home race is coming up. He’s finding his form, which is crucial for us at this time of the year.”

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With Checo’s podium, the Austrian team closed the gap to Mercedes in the constructor’s championship. Also, Checo took P4 in the driver’s championship from Lando Norris.

Should Red Bull have pitted Checo?