Horner: 'Bringing Perez in for the fastest lap would have been brutal'

We have seen it before this season: Sergio Perez being brought in by his team to set the fastest lap. At the United States Grand Prix this was not done and according to Christian Horner it would have been rude to do so.

The Mexican is proving that he is a good second driver to Max Verstappen. Not only has he kept Lewis Hamilton at bay when he needs to, but he's also calmly picked up the fastest lap when one of the Mercedes drivers had it. In Austin, he wasn't called in for the fastest lap, but finished on the podium. Christian Horner points out that they really couldn't bring him in during that race.

"It would have been brutal to pit Checo and take him off the podium. Leclerc was obviously too close behind. In the collective position of the team it was better for Checo to take the points. So that's what we did," the Red Bull Racing team principal told Autosport.

Horner impressed with Perez

The 31-year-old driver's third place finish was completely impressive, as he was feeling ill during the race. He had no water for the entire race, so he felt weaker with every lap. Horner is even more impressed with the second driver as a result. "That's the second race in a row he's on the podium now. His home race is coming up. He's finding his form, which is crucial for us at this time of the year."