Christian Horner sent a "brutal" message to Sergio Perez, the racing car driver has now revealed.
The 52‑year‑old former Red Bull team boss is facing fresh scrutiny after Mr Perez detailed the exchange in a new interview.
Mr Horner, who lives on the Oxfordshire border with his wife Geri Halliwell near Banbury, previously oversaw Red Bull’s Formula 1 operation from its Milton Keynes base before his departure from the team.
Mr Perez said the “brutal” message and earlier discussions with Mr Horner made clear where he stood during his four‑season spell with Red Bull between 2021 and 2024.
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The 36‑year‑old, who partnered Max Verstappen over that period, recalled how his then‑team principal spelt out the pecking order when they first spoke about his role.
“The first time I met Christian, he told me, ‘We go racing with two cars because we have to, otherwise we would be super happy just to race with one car,’” Mr Perez said on the High Performance podcast, in comments reported by specialist outlet RacingNews365.
“He told me, ‘Everything is for Max, around Max; we are here to win the championship with Max.’”
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Mr Perez said the blunt assessment left him under no illusions about what to expect once he signed on the dotted line.
“If I was joining Red Bull, I knew what I was coming into,” he explained, adding that the “expectations were very clear” before he raced for the team.
During his time at the Milton Keynes‑based outfit, the Mexican driver claimed five grand prix victories, 26 podiums and a best finish of second in the 2023 drivers’ championship, before leaving Red Bull at the end of the 2024 season.
