'Hamilton was right to criticise Red Bull: Perez was never backed'

Lewis Hamilton took issue with Sergio Perez earlier this season. According to the Mercedes driver, Perez had rarely had the support from Red Bull Racing to really perform. Christian Horner thought it was nonsense that Hamilton had spent time on this. Herbert thinks differently.

Why Herbert agrees with Hamilton's criticism

"I do remember the Red Bull criticism being quite high. The performances were that little bit better [towards the end of the season], and the criticism seems to have shifted towards supporting him. Probably they should have been supporting him when things weren't going as well. Lewis saying what he's saying... I get it. Sergio, he's up against one of the best that we've seen throughout the history of F1, and it's very difficult for him," the Briton told Express.

According to Herbert, Red Bull Racing did not go out of their way to support the Mexican in 2023. Perez started the 2023 F1 season well, but the tide turned from the moment he raised hopes of a world title. Since then, Max Verstappen walked away from him and the mistakes piled up.

Hamilton's comments could also be called surprising. Indeed, not long before, he took Perez down himself by saying he would be closer to Verstappen than Perez in the same car. Later, Hamilton would also argue that he has had better teammates than Verstappen.