Sergio Perez implied that Red Bull prioritised Max Verstappen when building their cars prior to him joining the team, when asked whether he can mount a challenge the Dutchman for the title. But Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has refuted these claims, saying the team has always treated drivers equally since joining the Formula 1 grid in 2005. "That's the first I've heard him saying that. We always have run two cars since we entered the sport in 2005 and we always want to have the best two drivers that we can in the car," he told media, including RacingNews365.com . The team has been no stranger to being accused of favouritism of a particular driver, whether it was Verstappen when he was up against Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon or Sebastian Vettel when he was teammates with Mark Webber. Horner claims it is down to how their drivers perform on the day, rather than any specific advantage within the team. "As a team we've always strived to give both drivers the best opportunity and the best equipment we can," he added. "Then it's down to what they do on track and that's whether it's Max and Checo, or Daniel and Max or Daniel and Seb, Mark and Seb or even going back David Coulthard and Mark Webber."
Horner: Perez more 'at home' at Red Bull
Horner believes Perez struggled to get to grips with their car when he joined the team in 2021, but thinks he is now more "at home" having had the experience within the team. He explained: "It's great to see Checo doing a great job now. In '21 he came into the car off the back of the COVID season and at the end of a set of regulations, and he struggled with that car. "Last year, he was definitely more at home within the car and he put in two of our 17 victories achieved. And he's got out of the blocks well again this year, but we’re only two races into the season and there’s an awful long, long way to go."
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