F1 | Red Bull, Horner on Perez's start to the season: "He worked hard over the winter"

Sergio Perez has so far been the protagonist of an excellent start to the season which has always seen him finish on the podium except on one occasion, in the Australian Grand Prix where he finished fifth but was the only Red Bull to finish. Analyzing this first glimpse of the Mexican's championship, Chris Horner admitted how Checo has done massive work this winter which has led him to his current form.

2024 must represent Perez's year of redemption after a difficult 2023 which however saw him finish the championship in second place in the Drivers' Championship ahead of Lewis Hamilton. It is essential for the Mexican to obtain a significant result to convince the Milton Keynes team to renew his contract which currently expires at the end of the season.

“I think he's worked hard this winter,” said Horner, interviewed by the media in Shanghai. “It's come with a slight change, perhaps, in his approach to GP weekends and he's been very close in the four races so far this season. Particularly on a track like Suzuka where last year he struggled a lot, but this year he is certainly very competitive.

Horner then, continuing to discuss Perez, added: “I think this sums up the fact that both guys have the same material at their disposal. I think Checo worked hard behind the scenes. He has dedicated many hours to the simulator and his approach to the Grand Prix weekend, set-up and so on, converges in the same direction as his teammate. This year he had some good races”.