Red Bull team boss Christian Horner says Sergio Perez is in the 2022 championship hunt as much as team-mate Max Verstappen is.
Perez picked up his first race win of the current season on Sunday in Monaco, while Verstappen crossed the line in third place.
Verstappen still holds the lead in the Drivers’ standings, however Perez sits in third, just 15 points behind the Dutchman.
Verstappen entered the season as the reigning World Championship, and has been the fastest driver in the Red Bull camp for much of the 2022 campaign so far.
But speaking to Sky F1, Horner believes that Perez is currently on track to compete for the title this season.
“He’s in this championship just as much as Max is,” Horner said. “The difference between the two of them is 15 points. It’s nothing.
“It’s a long way to go in this championship and we can see that Ferrari has a very fast car. They had a better car than us on this race track this weekend.
“I think through great teamwork, great work from the drivers, pit wall, the double stop – we managed to beat them here.
“That’s not going to be easy at the coming races. As a team we’ve always got to optimise our performance and at the back end of the championship, that’s where it’s going to get really exciting.”
Perez appeared to be the more comfortable Red Bull driver during the weekend in Monaco, with Horner commending the Mexican’s effort, as well as the performance of the entire team.
“He’s been on it all weekend, [it was] well deserved,” Horner said. His pace on the in and out lap from the extreme [Wets] onto the Intermediate [was strong].
“The team worked a double stop that allowed both of our drivers to pick off a Ferrari, which was fantastic.
“He’s doing a great job. Look at his performances so far, in Jeddah he had that amazing pole.
“The time delta between him and Max has been a lot, lot closer this year. To win this race, his third victory, what a place to get that.”
