Sky Sports F1 Presenter Fires Back After Heated Christian Horner Interview

Saajan Jogia | Aug 28, 2024

Christian Horner, Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing, speaks at the Red Bull Fan Zone, a private event at Oracle headquarters, on Wednesday October 18, 2023. / Jay Janner/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has confirmed that Sergio Perez was not replaced in the team since there was no suitable driver who could take his place. The statement comes in a heated interview with Sky Sports F1's Natalie Pinkham, who was called out by Horner for being quick to condemn Perez.

The Mexican driver had been the center of attention in the weeks leading up to the summer break due to a serious drop in form that caused him to deliver outside points on several race weekends. In addition, he also started at the back of the grid for two Grands Prix due to troubles faced in qualifying. These factors led to a drop in Red Bull's points accumulation, causing McLaren to close a significant gap for the Constructors' Championship title, presently at 30 points.

As a result, speculation swelled about Perez's Red Bull exit during the summer break, despite his two-year contract extension with Red Bull in June. Reserve driver Liam Lawson and VCARB (RB) driver Daniel Ricciardo were tipped as potential replacements for the mid-season swap. However, after Red Bull's summer break team meeting, Horner announced that Perez would continue racing with the team.

Although it seemed like Perez was given a second chance, Horner's announcement meant he was going nowhere. However, Pinkham raked the topic again in a TV interview at Zandvoort, causing the Red Bull team boss to enter into a debate with her, eventually accusing her of being quick to condemn the 34-year-old driver. When she asked why Red Bull decided to keep faith in Perez, as reported by Crash.net, Horner replied:

“Well, who would you put in?”

The exchange between Pinkham and Horner got intense when Pinkham remarked, "I'm not the boss of Red Bull." Horner swiftly countered, "No, but who would you change him for? Why would you change?" Pinkham shot back, "Why have you turned it back on me? It's not my decision. I'm just curious to know."

Coming to the main question that led Horner to confirm there was nobody else to replace Perez, Pinkham asked:

“Is that because there isn’t an obvious candidate to step up? Is that why you’ve held onto him?”

Horner replied:

“If we felt there was something better, we would have changed it by now.

“You are very quick to condemn Sergio."

After the interview, Pinkham went on to prove on Instagram that she had nothing against Perez by uploading a photo of herself with him, captioned “Believe nothing you hear and half of what you see."

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