Sergio Perez firmly believes there is ‘mutual respect’ between him and Max Verstappen despite the Jeddah rift
Red Bull are way ahead of others on the grid, this leaves Verstappen and Perez as each other's only rival.
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Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez. Image via PlanetF1.
Sergio Perez was labeled the “ultimate wingman” for Max Verstappen after his brilliant performance defending against the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in the most controversial 2021 Abu Dhabi GP. However, the internal battle between Perez and Verstappen increased after the Mexican became competitive in 2022. Though Perez had helped Verstappen on various occasions, the Dutchman refused to follow team orders and let Perez through in the 2022 Brazilian GP.
Sergio Perez was fighting for the runner-up position in the driver’s championship. In the end, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc won second place. These events caused a stir, and there were whispers that the Red Bull duo did not get along very well. Fast forward to the 2023 F1 season, Verstappen and Perez were fighting for the championship lead in the Saudi Arabian GP. The Dutchman snatched the fastest lap and scored an extra point. Verstappen was back in P1 in the driver’s standings. This resulted in some tension in the Jeddah cool-down room.
However, despite all the tension, Sergio Perez believes there is mutual respect between him and his teammate. “I’m here to do the best possible thing for myself as well [but] to be honest, we’ve got a lot more respect for each other than people might think out there. Inside it is a great atmosphere with the team, there is a very high level of respect between each other in the team with all the engineers from their side or my side.”
Sergio Perez wants to bring his A-game to fight Max Verstappen
Sergio Perez stated, “I think we are both mature enough to know what’s right and what’s wrong. As long as that keeps being the case, then I don’t expect anything to change.” After the incident in Jeddah, there were rumors that Red Bull favored Max Verstappen. But team boss Christian Horner denied it. He stated both drivers are allowed to race. Perez believes in his team and is not bothered by the speculations.
Red Bull is the most dominant team in the 2023 season. Verstappen’s only rival as of now is Perez. And it is vice versa. Sergio Perez is comfortable with the RB19. To win the championship, he will have to beat Verstappen every weekend. The Mexican must keep this consistency throughout the season to achieve his dream.
Max Verstappen won two of the three races held so far. Perez admitted that no driver is on Verstappen’s level right now. He acknowledged that the two-time world champion is the “hardest driver” to beat. This makes it more challenging for Perez. He wants to bring his A-game to every race and win his first F1 world championship.
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Sugantha Meena
(493 Articles Published)