Horner sees Perez as title contender: 'Otherwise why is he competing?'

Christian Horner expects Max Verstappen to be a major contender for the world title in the new season too. However, the Brit does not rule out that Sergio Perez is also capable of winning the world championship, he told Auto, Motor und Sport.

"Otherwise why is he competing? ", Horner wondered. The team boss thinks Verstappen will be stronger again. "But you know Checo should also know he has the capability to also be right there. We need both drivers performing at the best of their ability for the constructors championship."

Horner satisfied with collaboration

Last season, Red Bull Racing managed to finish in first place in both championships. According to Horner, this could not have been achieved without Perez's strong performance. The team boss hopes the Mexican can continue this line in the new racing year.

Because of the new regulations and increased tension, Horner expects the strength of the team to become increasingly important. He tells the German medium that he has a good feeling about the collaboration between Verstappen and Perez.

"I think we got a great driver pairing. If you look at Mercedes they’ve also got a very strong driver pairing, Ferrari have got a strong driver pairing, I think the top three teams are well equipped driver wise. It’s the question of working as a team collectively," Horner said. In three-and-a-half weeks, the first race weekend is scheduled to take place in Bahrain.