There was no team order at Red Bull according to Horner
After losing the lead of the race to Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez found themselves in second position together. But before any battle could take place, Red Bull asked its drivers not to fight.
After taking the lead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Sergio Perez quickly found himself struggling with rapidly worn rear tires. After Charles Leclerc’s pit stop under virtual safety car, Max Verstappen ended up behind his teammate. But equipped with better tires, he quickly caught up with Perez.
Red Bull intervened by asking its drivers not to fight through the radio, surely remembering the incident between Verstappen and Ricciardo, teammates in 2018, which resulted in a double retirement following a collision at the time. Verstappen was able to easily overtake Sergio Perez to take second place, which became the lead after Leclerc’s retirement.
Horner took the floor to affirm that it was not just an instruction sent to Perez: « I think today it wasn’t really a team instruction. It was simply a matter of a faster car and a slower car. Max was clearly faster than Checo at that moment, who was suffering from a lot of graining on the rear. So it’s simply a matter of “guys, don’t put yourselves in the wall of the pit lane”. If one car is faster, you see, let it go, and focus on bringing back the most points for the team. »
After the Barcelona Grand Prix, where clear team orders were given, it can, however, seem difficult for some to believe Red Bull’s version.
