Perez’s collision, caused by his audacious overtake attempt on the first corner, means that Red Bull are now at risk of not securing a historic one-two at the top of the Drivers’ Championship. The team are desperate to secure the achievement, though several drivers also have their heart set on securing P2.
Asked whether a failure to finish second behind Verstappen would result in Red Bull parting ways with Perez, Horner explained: “It’s not as binary as that. You’ve got to look at the circumstances, and so on. Checo [Perez] has an agreement with us for next year and that’s our intention for him to be in the car in 2024. But we’ll give him all the support that we can, to ensure that he finishes second but there’s no prerequisite that, if he doesn’t finish second, he’s out.”
