What Horner expects from Perez in 'important year'

Christian Horner has outlined what he hopes to see from Sergio Perez in an "important year" for the Mexican. Perez will enter into his third season at Red Bull in 2023, off the back of finishing a career-best P3 in the World Championship in the 2022 F1 season. The 33-year-old achieved two race wins and an additional nine podium finishes during the campaign, and Horner feels that he became increasingly comfortable within the team throughout the year. "Checo had a very strong year last year, winning two Grands Prix and, obviously, all the podiums and points that he scored," Horner told media, including RacingNews365.com . "I think he's continuing to evolve and grow within the team." Horner: Perez needs to build on confidence For 2023, Horner would like to see Perez take the next step. "I think he just needs to build on that and the confidence that he had last year," the team boss explained. "So it's an important year for Checo and the team." Perez set the fastest lap of all during pre-season testing in Bahrain, with the Red Bull driver beating Lewis Hamilton to the top spot on the final day of the session.