Red Bull boss Christian Horner has argued that it is “impossible to know” whether the team could have won the Formula 1 title in 2024 had it axed Sergio Perez mid-season.
Despite Max Verstappen retaining the Drivers’ Championship, the Austrian squad relinquished the grasp it had held on the Constructors’ crown since 2022 to McLaren.
Verstappen, having sealed the deal with two rounds to spare, ended up 63 points above closest rival Lando Norris, but that wasn’t enough to help Red Bull claim a title double.
Perez’s plight, which comprised a meagre 21 points over the last 10 rounds, culminated in him losing his drive, with Liam Lawson stepping up to partner Verstappen in 2025.
However, Red Bull could have made the change sooner as the team’s senior bosses had sat down at the summer break to discuss Perez’s seat amid a wretched run.
But while the experienced Daniel Ricciardo was touted as a possible replacement, Red Bull elected to retain Perez in the hope that he could rediscover his earlier-season level.
The Mexican, though, wouldn’t vindicate Red Bull’s reprieve as his eventual 285-point gap to Verstappen witnessed the team slump to third behind McLaren and Ferrari.
Given that Red Bull entered the shutdown still holding a 42-point lead over McLaren, Horner was asked whether a switch then might have salvaged its Constructors’ bid.
“It’s always easy to look with hindsight, and it’s impossible to know what anybody else would have done in that car,” Christian Horner told PlanetF1 late in 2024.
“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.
“From Monte Carlo on, the wheels came off his campaign and, from that point onwards, we just haemorrhaged too many points.
“We won more races than any other team this year by a significant margin and had as many pole positions [as McLaren].
“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.”
Red Bull had ‘a loyalty’ to Perez
However, Horner has indicated that Perez’s contribution to Red Bull’s recent success compelled it to give him a chance to turn his fortunes around even with a title on the line.
“Look at what Sergio has done for us over the last four years,” he added. “We really wanted to try and help turn his year around.
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.
“He played an important role in the ’21 Drivers’ Championship [Verstappen won] as well.
“So there was a loyalty to try and really help Checo. But you know, unfortunately, it didn’t materialise.”
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