Christian Horner has revealed that Red Bull discussed the "rules of engagement" with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Perez led Verstappen home in a 1-2 result for the team in Jeddah, but a talking point to emerge after the race centred around which driver would aim for the fastest lap, an accolade that ultimately went to Verstappen. While Perez has stated that he received "different information" over whether he could push for the quickest lap, Horner seemingly contradicted the Mexican by claiming that Perez backed out of his own attempt . When asked if his main concern for the season ahead will be managing the drivers, Horner downplayed any concerns over this, and revealed that discussions took place between them prior to the race in Jeddah.
Horner: We've got two very mature drivers
"We've got two very mature drivers," Horner told media, including RacingNews365.com . "They've worked well together previously. "We discussed the race and the scenario before the race and said, 'Look, you're free to race today, but the rules of engagement are team first. Respect each other, respect the cars that you're driving, and we want to bring home maximum points'. "And they've done that."
Horner on fastest lap situation
Radio transcripts have revealed the extensive discussions that occurred between each Red Bull driver and their respective engineer during the final laps of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix over the fastest lap topic. When asked if the team had issued messages about managing pace more out of hope than an expectation that Verstappen and Perez would follow the instructions, Horner responded: "You pass the message on to the driver. "Of course, the team's interest is to maximise the points. At whatever point you feel that you may have a reliability issue, then you obviously manage that. "I think, inevitably, as Max said on the radio, the point for the fastest lap meant a great deal to him, and there was no reason for us not to let either he or Checo have a crack at it."
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