"Now you're not in the car you're happy to criticize all the guys"-Red Bull boss Christian Horner rebuffs Nico Rosberg's criticism of Sergio Perez

Red Bull CEO Christian Horner has slammed Nico Rosberg for criticizing Sergio Perez and the Mexican's performance at the 2023 Spanish GP.

Speaking to the former F1 champion on Sky Sports F1, Horner felt Rosberg was being too harsh and critical about drivers after retiring from the sport.

Asked by Nico Rosberg about the gap in performance between Sergio Perez and his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen, Christian Horner replied:

“You’re a critical kind of guy though, aren’t you? You’re tough on these guys. Now that you’re not in the car, you are having to criticise all the guys. But I think that he [Perez] lost out in the early laps and didn't have a great start. George managed to get away with running off the track and not getting any penalty for that and I think that was the difference at the end of the day.”

The Red Bull chief went on to explain Perez's performance deficit.

“Checo's race was getting stronger and stronger and that last stint in particular, he was really coming back very strong, but just not enough laps to fight for the podium," Horner added. "I think if you look at the points now, there’s a big split between the two of them."

"If anything, that should take the pressure off him," he continued. "He has nothing to lose now and he just needs to relax, he can breathe out and just drive like we know he’s capable of, like he did in Azerbaijan and some of the early races this year. I think today was a good recovery from him and it will give him confidence as we head to Montreal.”

While Max Verstappen won the Spanish GP with an approximate 20-second lead over Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, the Dutchman's Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez finished fourth, 35 seconds behind off pace.

Rosberg questioned Horner about the performance deficit between the two Red Bull drivers, and the Briton felt Perez was being criticized heavily. The Red Bull boss claimed Perez was getting stronger towards the end of the race, but had lost out in the early laps of the race with a poor start.

The Mexican had started 11th on the grid after a poor qualifying session.

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Red Bull team boss evaluates the 2023 Spanish GP

Christian Horner believes Max Verstappen had a phenomenal race and controlled it from start to finish. He felt Sergio Perez had a good recovery drive and after a poor performance in Monaco and a poor qualifying in Spain.

Speaking after the race in a team statement, the Red Bull CEO said:

“Another great performance from Max," the Red Bull CEO said in a team statement after the race. "The start was strong, he had to be firm but fair with Carlos into the first turn, and from there he managed the race really well. We ran all three compounds today and he had the pace to cover whatever was going on behind him finishing with a 24-second gap by the end of the race."

"Max was totally in control. But it’s not just Max, the whole Team is operating at an elite level. We have a phenomenal car, we have two great drivers and we are continuing to evolve and become more polished,” Horner added.

Christian Horner continued:

“It was a good recovery from Checo, especially the second part of the race and I think that will give him a lot more confidence. He had a difficult Monaco, a difficult qualifying but a better Sunday. Looking at the gap between the two drivers, the pressure is off now and we know what Checo is capable of. I’m sure he will re-find that form from the early races in the near future.”

Red Bull has now won all eight races on the 2023 calendar so far. They lead the constructors' championship with a total of 287 points, 135 points ahead of Mercedes who are second.

In the drivers’ championship, Max Verstappen leads the points tally with a total of 170 points, 53 points ahead of Sergio Perez. With a dominant RB19, Red Bull Racing is expected to win every race on the calendar in 2023.