Sergio Perez demands a Red Bull team order review as Max Verstappen stole the fastest lap
Sergio Perez got his fifth win in Formula 1 at the Saudi Arabian GP.
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Sergio Perez, Max Verstappen. Images via The Guardian & Sports Illustrated.
Sergio Perez is on his way to achieving his Formula 1 goal. The Mexican wants to win races and eventually his first championship in Formula 1. Perez has been putting in the work and reaping the benefits of it. But, one cannot dismiss his teammate, Max Verstappen, who is known for his highly competitive nature. Though Perez won the Saudi Arabian GP there was an intense conversation between him and the Red Bull pit wall.
Towards the end of the Saudi Arabian GP, Sergio Perez had the fastest lap. He would have got an additional point and taken the lead in the championship standings. However, that did not happen. Verstappen got the fastest point and became the championship leader with 44 points while his teammate left Jeddah with 43 points. Perez revealed that there was an understanding within the team that they would not accelerate and let him earn 26 points.
After the race, Perez stated, “I asked two laps from the end, where they told me to keep a certain rhythm. They told me that I had the fastest lap and that I kept the pace, a certain pace. So I thought the communication was the same as Max’s or something like that. We have to check because they undoubtedly gave me the different information and I couldn’t push there.” This topic continued in the cooldown room as well.
Sergio Perez has trust issues with his team
Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez kept checking on each other’s pace during the end of the race. Perez questioned the Dutchman in the cooldown room asking if he was not told to keep the pace. Verstappen replied, “Ah, 33.0, yeah. But then I asked what was the fastest lap and I think it was a tenth faster than what we were doing.” The two-time world champion was hell-bent on getting the fastest lap.
According to Helmut Marko, Verstappen waited for the last lap so Perez could not counter. He concluded by saying this is typical “Max Verstappen behaviour”. Nevertheless, the team is happy with the result. It is another 1-2 finish for Red Bull. And the team is way ahead of the others on the grid in the constructor’s championship.
Max Verstappen stressed after the race that there was always freedom to attack. He stated it is quite normal to ask for the fast lap. There has been tension between Sergio Perez and Verstappen and it is seemingly increasing. Perez believed that he was given a different message than the one conveyed to his teammate. Apart from this drama, Red Bull put up a good show and had a good pace throughout the race.
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F1 Saudi Arabian GP: “What is this nonsense!”, Fans react to the FIA penalising Fernando Alonso
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Sugantha Meena
(493 Articles Published)