Red Bull boss Christian Horner makes risky Max Verstappen title prediction

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner may have unintentionally stoked the fire between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez with his Formula One title predictions.

Tensions dramatically increased between the Red Bull drivers last year following high-profile incidents in Monaco and Brazil, with their once harmonious relationship now on the rocks.

Though Horner has claimed that the pair have worked out there differences, many suspect there is still a rift between the teammates with the 2023 season rapidly approaching.

Verstappen is of course Red Bull’s no.1 driver having won the last two championships, with Perez forced into a supporting role having joined the team in 2021 at a time when his F1 career could well have been over.

The Mexican is still a hugely talented racer in his own right and has pushed for more equal treatment within the team and a greater say in how the car is developed so i can better suit his driving style.

That all makes recent comments from Horner all the more surprising, as the team boss bluntly claimed that Verstappen was more likely to win the title this year.

‘The form that Max has been in means he is the man to beat,’ he told Auto Motor und Sport.

‘He’s the reigning World Champion and Checo [Perez] has to strive for that, otherwise, why is he competing? But I think the reality is that in all probability, Max over the season is likely to be the [better] candidate for the World Championship.

‘But Checo has the capability to be right there, we need both drivers performing at the best of their ability for the Constructors’ Championship.

‘Checo knows exactly what is expected from him, and being Max’s teammate is a pretty daunting prospect for any driver.’

During their two seasons together, Verstappen has out-qualified Perez 38-6 and out-raced him 36-7, so Horner’s comments are not unfounded.

However, given the frosty nature of his drivers’ relationship, one would have thought that a perhaps more safe, diplomatic statement that both have a good chance of winning would have been better placed than Horner’s typically brutish comments.

The team boss and drivers launched Red Bull’s 2023 car, the RB19 last Friday, with the season set to begin on March 5th in Bahrain.

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