Is Perez already sure of Red Bull seat? Horner: 'Checo is our priority'

A remarkable moment could be heard on Sergio Perez's team radio message after qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix, with Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner saying that the driver had cost him a hefty sum of money. It later turned out to be a bet - and none other than former Formula 1 owner Bernie Ecclestone is profiting.

Betting between Horner and Perez

Enquiries at Red Bull revealed that Horner and Perez had made a bet. Horner had bet that the Mexican would not make the front row of the grid, while Perez was convinced he could. This proved excellent motivation for Perez, who put his car right behind teammate Max Verstappen on the front row of the grid.

So Horner lost the bet, and funnily enough Ecclestone appears to be the one who benefits from this. "I had bet with him, because his best qualifying performance had been P4 here. And somehow having won the bet, he told me that he owed Bernie Ecclestone exactly the same amount of money. So he's passed the bet on to Bernie, who was the beneficiary from Checo's front row. Dear old Bernie is still making money, whilst not even being here," he laughed. Asked how much money the bet was for, Horner simply replied, "It was enough."

Horner: 'Perez is Red Bull's priority'

Perez managed to convince in the Japan GP by finishing second behind Verstappen. Consequently, the criticism he faced, particularly last year, is diminishing. Moreover, Horner argues that the Mexican is still the F1 team's first choice as long as he manages to continue this line.

"He needs to just need to keep doing what he's doing. The whole driver market seems to be very early this year that everybody seems to be rushing around. So, I think we're not in a huge rush. Obviously there's a significant amount of interest in our cars, as you would expect. Checo has the priority and it's going to be a few more races yet before we start to think about next year," Horner concluded.