Max Verstappen emerged victorious in the Canadian Grand Prix, triumphing over strong competitors like Mercedes and McLaren. Christian Horner, the Team Principal of Red Bull, responded vehemently to Mercedes’ disdainful comment about the RB20 of Red Bull. The Technical Director of Mercedes had criticized Red Bull the week before the Canadian Grand Prix.
Red Bull has been facing a drop in its dominant performance, as it faces strong competition from Ferrari and McLaren in the 2024 championship. The team’s struggles during the Monaco Grand Prix and in the practice sessions in Montreal led James Allison to take a dig at the reigning champions. Allison stated that Red Bull’s updates actually had a negative impact on the team, rather than improving its performance. However, Christian Horner had the last laugh after the event in Montreal, where Red Bull performed exceptionally well and surpassed Mercedes.
Despite Mercedes being the fourth fastest team this season, they entered the Sunday race with confidence after George Russell secured pole position. However, Verstappen’s brilliance overshadowed Mercedes, leading Horner to push back against Allison’s criticisms by stating that the supposedly downgraded RB20 of Red Bull performed better than the upgraded W15 of Mercedes.
Sergio Perez, the Red Bull driver, faced penalties after the Canadian GP. He received a 3-place grid penalty and a €25,000 fine from the FIA for driving to the pits with a broken rear wing caused by a collision with the wall. Perez’s performance has been disappointing, as he failed to make it out of Q1 for the second consecutive race this season. During the race, he hit the barriers, damaging his rear wing and forcing his retirement.
A pesar de los daños en su coche, Perez continuó conduciendo de regreso a los pits, ignorando las reglas de control de la carrera que exigían que se detuviera. Como resultado, recibió una penalización de 3 posiciones en la parrilla para el GP de España. La temporada de Perez está yendo de mal en peor, y ahora tendrá que demostrar su valía para justificar la extensión de su contrato con Red Bull hasta 2026.