Red Bull‘s second seat has been the topic of debate ever since Daniel Ricciardo left the team in 2019. Be it Pierre Gasly’s mid-season removal, or Alex Albon’s short-lived run in the second seat, the Milton Keynes-based team has faced trouble in producing the kind of results that they would be hoping for. However, the debate has somewhat subsided over the last couple of years. Sergio Perez‘s exceptional performance in the 2021 season, helping Verstappen win his maiden driver’s championship, is probably the best that 2nd car has performed in a long time. However, with Checo’s recent woeful run, the second seat has become the center of debate again.

The Red Bull management, apart from Helmut Marko, has always downplayed the criticisms that the second driver faces. Recently, however, Christian Horner opened up about the Mexican’s performance, during an Eff Won Podcast appearance. He talked about how difficult a job the second driver has and also talked about past parallels.

Red Bull’s second driver troubles

During the Eff Won Podcast, Horner opened up about a lot of different things. Ranging from Ricciardo’s ill-advised decision to move to Renault, to Max Verstappen’s generational talent, he talked about it all. He also opened up about the difficult job of playing second fiddle to Max’s “generational talent”, and how the teammates of other greats like Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, and Lewis Hamilton also faced similar difficulties.

“It’s just like driving next to Terminator,” Christian says. “He [Max Verstappen] is a generational talent. To be his teammate is the hardest job in the pitlane. He broke the young teammates that he had come in.” 

Horner proceeds to explain the reasoning behind signing Sergio in the first place. “We took Checo because he has that experience, and he’s a well-rounded individual. He’s a tough operator. He’s got that mental resilience. He’s not a qualifier, but he’s an absolute racer.” 

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He didn’t just stop here though, he proceeded to provide some advice for the hope of Mexico in Formula 1.

Horner’s Advice for Sergio Perez

Checo, for his credit, has brought in a lot to Red Bull over the last three years. “Checo has done a great job next to Max during the last three years,” Horner acknowledges.

He then talks about the difference between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, advising Perez on what he can do better. “If you look at a race like Japan, the very first lap that Max does out of the pits, he’s 2 seconds faster than the rest of the field.”

Horner thinks that Perez should focus more on improving himself as a driver, rather than comparing himself to Max. “The problem is for Checo, he is comparing himself to Max.  What he needs to do is, forget about Max, and focus on himself.”

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However, with the Daniel Ricciardo hype train going on full-strength, and races like Mexico where Perez has been underwhelming, to say the least, Perez might not have a lot of time left to improve. Although the Milton Keynes team urges that the driver lineups are going to be the way they are for 2024, Red Bull is not afraid of changing drivers ruthlessly.