Sergio Perez says Christian Horner “is a key player” in Red Bull’s success amid speculation regarding the team principal’s future.
Red Bull GmbH — the global company that owns Red Bull Racing — has commissioned an independent investigation after allegations of inappropriate behavior from Horner within the team. Horner reiterated his denial of the allegations, telling British newspapers, “I’m confident in [my innocence]. If I wasn’t I wouldn’t be here,” during the RB20 launch, and Perez wants the team to help maintain continuity.
“Well, I think we just want to go racing,” Perez said. “We want the whole team to stay together because we’ve been so successful, and he will be able to just keep the whole team together and focus on racing.
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“Obviously there are some things out there, but the most important is we stick together as a team. We work well, and the main goal [is] remembering we are here for racing — we are a race team and we love it… and we know that Christian is a key player in our organization.
“Like I say, it’s important all of us focus on what we’re here to do, and what we’re here to do is to win championships and bring the team as forward as possible and that has to be the target for all of us in this organization.”
Horner insisted he will be in Bahrain for the pre-season test and first race despite the ongoing investigation, while also outlining his achievements in charge of Red Bull.
“I’m absolutely committed to this team,” Horner said. “I’ve been here since the beginning. I’ve built this team. There have been highs and lows along the way. We have won 113 races, seven drivers’ world championships, six constructors’ world championships, in 19 seasons. And you know, that’s in the history books now but it’s what lies ahead that’s important. So my focus is on the future.”