Dutch F1 pundit blasts Red Bull for Max Verstappen favoritism, says Sergio Perez only plays “second fiddle”

Max Verstappen leads the 2023 F1 championship. He is 14 points ahead of teammate Sergio Perez.

Dutch F1 pundit blasts Red Bull for Max Verstappen favoritism, says Sergio Perez only plays “second fiddle”

Max Verstappen & Sergio Perez. Image via F1.

Red Bull driver Sergio Perez finished second at the Miami Grand Prix. Had he won the race, he would be leading the F1 world championship. His teammate Max Verstappen started from ninth on the grid and claimed his 38th victory in Formula 1. The Dutchman was unstoppable. It was a good result for Red Bull, as they had a 1-2 finish on the podium.

Perez was dominant in the Azerbaijan GP. This led the spectators to believe he could challenge Verstappen for the title. The Mexican driver had the best opportunity to lead a championship for the first time in his F1 career.  Perez had an advantage as he started from pole position in Miami. But things did not work out in his favor. Viaplay analyst Tom Coronel does not think the Mexican star could fight for the crown. He also claims Red Bull favor Verstappen over Perez.

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Tom Coronel spoke about the situation in Red Bull to Motorsports.com after the Miami Grand Prix. He stated, “What does he think? It just doesn’t work. When you are Max’s teammate, you just always become second fiddle. That’s just the way it is. How many times have we seen other drivers walk away with their tails between their legs.”

Related: “They don’t like who is winning,” Max Verstappen speaks out after being booed by Red Bull fans over Miami GP victory

F1 pundit does not think Sergio Perez can win a world championship

Sergio Perez. Image via MARCA.
Sergio Perez. Image via MARCA.

Tom Coronel responded to Perez’s post-race interview. The Mexican driver had mentioned that he had to analyze with the team and understand what could have been improved. Coronel claimed he knew the answer and suggested that Perez should “drive faster.” He ruled out any hope for Perez to achieve his F1 championship dream. 

Coronel claims that the Mexican driver would be able to collect wins only if Verstappen makes mistakes. He is certain the points between the Red Bull duo are most likely to increase. The Dutchman leads the 2023 drivers championship after last weekend.  Max Verstappen had better pace and a brilliant strategy at the Miami GP, and it all came together for him. 

The 25-year-old has 119 points from the first five rounds of the season. He is followed by his teammate Perez who has 105 points. According to the analyst Coronel, Perez can only close the gap with his teammate by capitalizing on his misfortune. There were also whispers that Red Bull were trying to sabotage Checo’s race. However, team boss Christian Horner stated that there is no partiality within the team. Both drivers are free to race each other, and these are nothing but mere rumors.

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