Sergio Perez crashes in Italian GP practice as Horner's reaction speaks volumes

01 September 2023 , 16:09

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Sergio Perez lost control of his Red Bull and drifted across the gravel before hitting a barrier (Image: Sky Sports)

Christian Horner looked exasperated as Sergio Perez crashed towards the end of Friday practice at Monza.

The Mexican lost control of his Red Bull at the sweeping final corner heading into the start/finish straight. Having understeered early in the corner, the car drifted more wide on the track than he had intended.

The wheels on the left side of the car dipped onto the gravel and suddenly Perez was no longer in control of the car. Despite his best efforts, he was unable to wrestle the car back onto the track and span around, hitting the barrier with the rear of his car before coming to rest in the gravel.

Perez attempted to get going again but was unable to do so. With the car a sitting duck in the gravel on the exit of a quick corner, race control took no chances and red flagged the session so that it could be safely recovered.

The 33-year-old was unhurt in the incident as the impact with the barrier was relatively light. But it clearly did do some damage to the Red Bull as TV images showed the rear wing was leaning to one side, not in the correct position.

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After showing a replay of the incident, the cameras then cut to team boss Horner, who was sat on the Red Bull pit wall. Watching the incident again for himself, the expression he wore gave the impression of a man who was unimpressed by what he had seen.

Christian Horner looked unimpressed with the crash (Sky Sports)

It was another moment Perez would desperately have hoped to avoid given the pressure he is under. He has been comprehensively beaten by Max Verstappen throughout this season and, despite sitting second in the drivers' standings, is 138 points adrift of his team-mate.

His future has been questioned regularly as a result and even team adviser Helmut Marko suggested his 2024 seat is not set in stone. But, speaking to reporters including Mirror Sport after last Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix, Horner reaffirmed his commitment to honouring that contract his team has with Perez.

He said: "Checo's situation for next year is clear. He is a Red Bull Racing driver. We have an agreement with him. And, irrelevant of agreements, we're pleased with the job that he is doing... He's second in the world championship and he's the only driver other than Max to have won Grands Prix this year."

Daniel Moxon