$10 billion worth Mexican businessman hints Red Bull is sabotaging Sergio Perez’s car to help Max Verstappen

Verstappen won the Belgium GP by a 22 second lead over second place Sergio Perez.

$10 billion worth Mexican businessman hints Red Bull is sabotaging Sergio Perez’s car to help Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez (Credits: F1)

Sergio Perez’s second place in the Belgium Grand Prix has been significant for him due to the lack of form the Mexican was witnessing. With Max Verstappen starting from P6 owing to a five-place grid penalty for adding a fifth gearbox to his car, Perez, starting from P3, had the best opportunity to take his third victory of the season. Still, he was easily overpowered by his teammate on lap 17 of the race.

Post-race, Mexican Businessperson Arturo Elias Ayub, who has a reported net worth of $10 billion, praised Verstappen’s performance while hinting at the possibility that Verstappen’s car is constructed differently than Perez’s to provide more advantage to the Dutchman. Ayub said that the massive 22-second gap between Verstappen and Perez cannot be attributed to the skill difference between the two drivers.

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“I have no doubt that Max Verstappen is the best driver on the grid, but to get a 20-second lead from Checo, in P2, when Checo increased his advantage against Charles Leclerc, in P3, is because his car HAS TO BE much faster than the others. That much difference can’t be made by just the driver,” Ayub told Marca.

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Two-time Le Mans winner urges Red Bull to drop Sergio Perez for Daniel Ricciardo

Sergio Perez and Daniel Ricciardo
Sergio Perez (Credits: TheSportsRush) and Daniel Ricciardo (Credits: CNN)

Having been under immense pressure for a while, Sergio Perez will be more assured of holding on to his Red Bull seat following his two podiums in Hungary and Belgium. Despite this improvement, former Le Mans winner Hans-Joachim Stuck believes that Daniel Ricciardo is more deserving of that Red Bull seat.

While Stuck acknowledged the several reaffirmations of faith of Christian Horner and Helmut Marko in Perez’s ability, he said that if they were to have a falling out with the Mexican, Ricciardo is the best option for the team. He believes that Ricciardo belongs to F1 and will be able to prove it in a better car.

“I’ll keep my fingers crossed for him that he will be Max Verstappen’s teammate… Ricciardo deserves it. I don’t know what Helmut Marko is planning… You just have to wait and see, that’s an internal story. In any case, I’m happy that Ricciardo is back,” Stuck told Mirror.

Sergio Perez currently stands in second position in the driver’s standings with 189 points, while Ricciardo is yet to score his first points, having raced two races. With teams bringing in several new upgrades after the summer break, it remains to be seen how well Ricciardo can acclimatize to his AlphaTauri with ten races remaining this season.

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