F1 2024 has taken a strange turn compared to expectations made based on last year’s results, with Red Bull leading, but not in the way you’d expect. Many are done with the monotonous races with the same winner over and over again, but Max Verstappen earns every last one of them. On the other hand, Sergio Perez had a hard time qualifying at P11 this weekend this weekend after being knocked out in the second round of the qualifier. And Christian Horner is less than pleased with this.

McLaren is catching up now; they are probably as quick as Red Bull, and this is alarming. Lando Norris is threatening Max Verstappen’s victory for the second time now, and while he did not win, the Dutch champion now knows to sleep with one eye open. While Max Verstappen was fighting to secure his win, Sergio Perez finished at P8, which is not expected from a Red Bull. Checo is yet to reserve his seat, and things are not looking good for him. So what did the team boss have to say about this?

Christian Horner’s take on the unsatisfactory results in Imola

Considering Sergio Perez’s qualifying results, the team had run some strategies with Checo and expected a better outcome from the race. He finished P8, but the team had thought of a better result. It is the RB20 we are talking about. Understandably, Imola’s circuit is not one where overtakes are possible, but considering strategies and everything, Perez should have had a better pace in this race.

This loss was brutal, as he lost his P2 position in the driver’s championship. Charles Leclerc’s podium was enough to score enough points to put him at 113, while Checo is at 107. Now this is something Christian Horner is not okay with. Red Bull has taken a hit in terms of points, and while still in the lead, Horner decided to talk about his take on the race.

He said, “It was a shame for Checo being out following the qualifying. We ran a reverse strategy with him, and he would go P8 at the end. P7 was the best we could see on our analysis before the race. We need him obviously up there supporting Max in the same way the two Ferraris and the two McLarens are together.”

McLaren is catching up with their Miami win in terms of pace, and Ferrari’s Leclerc has surpassed Perez in the drivers’ championship. This is a huge hit for the Mexican, and the boss needs him to fight for 1-2 finishes consistently if he wants to keep his seat. Now that Sergio Perez has his informal warning from the boss, how does Red Bull go about motivating Checo to do better?

Red Bull’s motivation goes beyond the seat

Of course, the pressure of fighting for the seat is in full force for Sergio Perez. He has a lot to prove, and his performance has been good so far, but there are slip-ups. Not being in the top 3 could be called a slip-up by Red Bull standards. What Christian Horner needs is 1-2 finishes, and the race starts in the qualifiers. So when it came to China, there was a bet that was placed with Checo, and Bernie Ecclestone became the winner of the reward sum.

Horner had a bet with Perez that he would not qualify for the front row. But the Mexican delivered and won the bet. However, when it became time to pay up, Checo did not take the reward. Coincidentally, what happened was that Perez owed former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone the same amount of money that he won from the bet. Ultimately, Checo skipped being the middleman and asked the Red Bull boss to send it over to Ecclestone directly.

It was the bet that made the difference, as although the winning amount was unknown, Red Bull is known to have friendly bets that remain under 100 quid. So we know that it’s not the money that makes the difference, but the challenge of proving himself right. That’s what Checo did in China and also through last season. There is more of the season ahead of us than we have gone through since Bahrain, and this means there will be enough time for Perez to prove himself.

Do you think he will be able to put Charles Leclerc back in P3 soon? Do you think he will keep his seat? Let us know your thoughts on the same in the comments below.