Christian Horner has placed his full confidence in Sergio Perez to help Red Bull see off the challenge of their Formula 1 rivals.
Perez has signed a new two-year contract extension, keeping him with the team until the end of 2026. And he will be tasked with scoring the points needed for Red Bull to retain their position as F1's top team which, for the first time since they secured that position, is under threat.
McLaren have made huge improvements and Lando Norris has emerged as a bona fide championship threat to Max Verstappen. And Ferrari have also proven they are capable of winning race, as Charles Leclerc proved last month in Monaco.
Perez has struggled at times to deliver the results that are now needed of him. Verstappen scored enough points to single-handedly win the title for Red Bull last year, but now that the performance gap is close they need the Mexican to step up.
And team principal Horner has backed the 34-year-old to do exactly that after choosing to stick with his current driver line-up. The Briton said: "Now is an important time to confirm our line-up for 2025 and we are very pleased to continue working together with Checo.
Inside the driver call which upset Red Bull and changed the course of F1 history
"Continuity and stability are important for the team and both Checo and Max are a successful and robust partnership, securing our first ever one-two finish for the team in the championship last year. Checo has had a strong start to 2024 with second places in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Japan and then his podium in China.
"The past few races have been tough, there is convergence on the grid, but we are confident in Checo and look forward to his return to proven form and performance, that we so often see. Last year was a unicorn season and we will need to work hard to retain our titles, but we are assured in our line up and with the team as a whole, which is imperative in what is shaping up to be a close-fought championship this year."
Perez will be approaching his 37th birthday when he comes to the end of this latest Red Bull deal. And despite his at times patchy form in recent times, he insists he is up to the challenge of helping the team to continue its dominance of the sport.
He said: "I am really happy to commit my future to this great team, it is a challenge like no other racing for Oracle Red Bull Racing, both on track and off track. I am delighted to be staying here to continue our journey together and contribute to this team's great history for two more years. Being part of the team is an immense challenge, and one I love.
"We have a great challenge this year and I have full trust in the whole team that the future is bright here and I am excited to be part of it. I want to thank everyone for all the trust they are putting in me, it is a lot and I want to pay it back with excellent results on track, and off track. I think we have a lot of work to do, we have a lot more championships to win together."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
