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Paranoia must not creep into Red Bull F1 driver battle

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With Red Bull’s RB19 proving to be at the top of the field and far outpacing its rivals, the race for the drivers’ championship appeared to be entirely between its drivers.

Such internal rivalry has proven difficult for teams to deal with in the past, as it heightens the prospect of competitive tensions boiling over.

Horner is well aware of the dangers such a situation presents, but believes that as long as his team do their best to treat Verstappen and Perez equally in all respects, there will be no problems.

“I think it’s a question of luxury,” Horner said when asked by Autosport what his biggest challenge was in dealing with two drivers contending for the title.

“First of all, any team principal in the pits would expect to have this problem, it’s something we’ve been through before.

“The key is to make sure there is no paranoia and that both drivers are treated equally.

“You go out of your way to provide parity in terms of who gets the car out of the garage first each weekend. They even take turns when debriefing on who speaks first.

“But you know, it’s racing, it’s Formula 1, and every once in a while there’s a safety car or a pit stop or something. You can’t control every aspect of the sport and there are still variables.

“I think as long as the drivers know they’re all given an equal chance, it’s ultimately about what they do on the track. That’s where you want to play, not through reliability, for example, in your own team’s two teams. play a key role in the title race between two drivers.”

Mercedes Perspective

Mercedes-AMG Team Principal and CEO Toto Wolff at the team principals press conference

Mercedes-AMG Team Principal and CEO Toto Wolff at the team principals press conference

photographer: motorsport pictures

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has faced his own challenges in the past when dealing with difficult situations between drivers, not least when Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton clashed on numerous occasions.

He knows how difficult it is to see through such situations—which is why he believes total transparency between them is crucial.

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“From what I’ve seen in the past, it’s been a very tricky job for Christian and the team, as both drivers will obviously try to always feel like they’re being treated fairly and equally, while trying to gain an advantage,” he said. explain.

“Within our group, it’s important to have a lot of transparency and clarity, discussions before we actually play on Sunday and setting boundaries.

“In the end, both drivers, even Nico and Lewis, respect the opinion of the team and at the same time we admit that there was a battle, the battle between the two of them is still going on. So going back to the past, I might do something in 2016 behaves differently, especially.

“But there’s a balance between accepting that these two guys are fighting for a championship, in the same garage, and at the same time, they’re part of a bigger structure. I don’t think it’s always easy because they’re very competitive. powerful animal.”

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Ocon: 'I have much respect for Aston Martin'

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Esteban Ocon had a great Sunday afternoon. Across the streets of Monaco, the Frenchman appeared to be at one with his Alps, which eventually even earned him a podium finish. Ocon told a news conference that he looked back on the weekend with a very good feeling.

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Perez “cannot afford another zero” in F1 2023 season

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The Red Bull driver was last in Sunday’s race and was out in Q1 qualifying.

He went on to make five pit stops in a dismal race that saw him twice passed by team-mate and race winner Max Verstappen, who now leads the championship by 39 points.

Although it marked Perez’s first game of the season without scoring, the Mexican said his error was “costly” and “unacceptable”.

He said: “We paid for my mistake and it was very costly. I just have to apologize to my whole team because it was unacceptable for this kind of mistake to be made.

“I have to move on and learn from it, I can’t afford another zero in the tournament.”

Despite the poor finish, Perez had a “very good” start to the race, finishing 15th on lap 30, but dropped back into the standings after a couple of incidents and a period of rain.

He also collided with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen in the corner on lap 34, breaking his front wing.

Perez said he “didn’t know what happened” but was “considerably hurt” by the incident.

He added: “It went well. Unfortunately I hit traffic early on and that put us back where we were. Then it rained and we were one of the last to pit.

Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB19, Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo C43

Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB19, Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo C43

Photography: Simon Galloway/ motorsport pictures

“Then I cut the wall and it all became a mess. Me and Magnussen broke my front wing and he just came out of the chicane (deeply) and it went bad.

“When you’re in those positions, you’re always taking a lot of risks.”

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Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said it had been a “bad weekend” for Perez, blaming the poor result on a crash in qualifying that “put you at a disadvantage”.

He also said Perez was inside Ocon’s maintenance window before getting stuck behind slow-moving traffic.

Horner said: “We took a very aggressive strategy. Stopped on the first lap and you could see how fast he was in the free space and how much the others were saving.

“He actually came back inside the pit window on Esteban Ocon, and then (Logan) Sargeant and the slow car started to struggle and, of course, you couldn’t overtake.

“Then he got involved in a melee with (George) Russell and damaged the front wing. It was just one of those weekends where he got nothing done.

“He saved a lot of money in the pool, so he might need a new pair of underwear after that.

“For him, it’s just one of those weekends where[he should]turn the page and I think for him, the sooner he gets to Barcelona the better.”

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Verstappen: 'We always have to be perfect'

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Max Verstappen gave a masterclass in the narrow streets of Monte Carlo. The Dutchman once again showed his raw talent, whether in the rain or on dry tarmac. If the Dutchman fails to win, there are still two contenders for the title. Teammate Sergio Perez and his friend Fernando Alonso. Will the Spaniard get another chance at victory soon? Verstappen responded at a press conference.

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