Perez: 'I was the big diversion from Horner scandal'

21:02, 05 Jan

Updated: 21:18, 05 Jan

16 Comments

byNorberto Mujica

Sergio Perez has claimed his dip in performance was a diversion from Christian Horner's scandal.

"I was a big distraction. Nobody was talking about anything but me, about my performance, about how badly I was doing."

- Sergio Perez.

Photo: Red Bull content pool

At the start of the 2024 F1 season allegations of improper behaviour were made against Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, a matter which Horner always denied, and Perez claims his lack of results diverted the attention from.

"There was also so much pressure that year. Christian had some problems, so it [the performance] was also a bit of a distraction," Perez said when he appeared on the CRACKS Podcast.

"I was a big distraction. Nobody was talking about anything but me, about my performance, about how badly I was doing."

Perez: 'I always knew I wasn't the problem'

Perez claims attempts were made - without clarifying by whom - to try and make him think he was the culprit for his streak of poor results. "Yes, yes, many times [they tried to make me think I was behind the lacklustre performance], but I always knew it wasn't me."

The Mexican states he never doubted himself. And that his feedback on the car was proven right when teammate Max Verstappen backed the Mexican's concerns.

"Never [doubted myself], never, because I remember in one race, at Spa, they were about to cancel my contract, right? It's mid-year. They didn't cancel it. I was already complaining a lot about the car.

Photo: Race Pictures

"We went back to Zandvoort and Max started complaining about the same things I was. I mean, Max is the driver who can best cope with the car's rear. He has a driving style where he doesn't feel the rear end.

"So, when Max complains about that, it means it's terrible. And in Italy he says, 'I can't drive this car anymore.' Finally, finally they're going to listen to us."

When Red Bull listened, Perez 'was a second faster'

Perez reveals that following Verstappen's echo of his previously voiced concerns the team made changes, which were ultimately void following a costly crash with Carlos Sainz in Baku.

"At the next race, the team modified the floor," Perez added. "They put in a new floor for me, with the modifications Max requested. I was a second faster than everyone in practice when they gave me that floor in Baku.

"I was doing really well, everything was going great. I was fighting for the win, I was going to win that race, and that's when I crashed with Sainz, wrecked the car on the last lap, and I never drove on that floor again," the Mexican driver concluded.

'Being Verstappen's teammate is the hardest job in F1'

Perez reflected on his four seasons alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull, calling it “the worst job in Formula 1.” Read the full story here.

GPblog's latest F1 Paddock Update

Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the F1 paddock? Then GPblog's F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it. Subscribe to GPblog's YouTube channel and turn on notifications to never miss the latest episodes.