“Now you're not in a car, you're happy to criticize all the guys” - Red Bull boss on Nico Rosberg questioning Sergio Perez’s race pace in Barcelona

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner didn't hold back when he was questioned by former F1 world champion Nico Rosberg about Sergio Perez's race pace during Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona.

Horner reminded Rosberg that he has been a "critical kind of guy" since retiring from F1 at the end of 2016. The Red Bull boss suggested that Rosberg has taken on the role of critiquing drivers now that he is no longer behind the wheel himself.

When asked on Sky Sports by Rosberg about Perez's performance in his first stint, Horner said:

"You're quite a critical kind of guy though, aren't you?"

He went on to add:

"I mean, you're tough on these guys. Now you're not in a car, you know, [now] you're happy to criticize all the guys."

This remark set the tone for a heated discussion between the two. Rosberg, known for his analytical approach, questioned Sergio Perez's pace, saying,

"You were just saying he did a good race but I thought it was quite a lack of performance, especially during the early part of the race. Isn't that true? I mean, comparing to Max, there were some laps where there was quite a gap."

But Horner defended Perez, saying:

"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."

Horner acknowledged that Sergio Perez's race improved as it progressed, with his last stint showing significant improvement. However, he then claimed that given how Perez's qualifying transpired, there simply weren't enough laps left for the Mexican to fight for a podium position.

“He has nothing to lose now” - Red Bull boss feels Sergio Perez has no pressure anymore

The fourth-place finish in the Spanish Grand Prix means that the difference between Sergio Perez and championship leader and teammate, Red Bull's Max Verstappen, has now been extended to 53 points.

Touching on that, Red Bull boss Christian Horner expressed his confidence in Perez's abilities and emphasized that the widening gap in the championship standings should alleviate some of the pressure on him.

Horner believes that the second-placed Sergio Perez now has nothing to lose.

"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," Horner explained.

“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," he added.