“Everything that happened is a matter of teammates,” Sergio Perez’s father makes it clear that there is ‘no bad intention’ between his son and Max Verstappen
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Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez after the 2022 Abu Dhabi GP qualifying (Via Red Bull IG)
Red Bull have been shrouded in controversy for almost the whole year, beginning with the season finale last year, the result of which did not sit well with everyone. Then came the budget cap breach, and then, most recently, when Max Verstappen refused to yield P6 to teammate Sergio Perez in the Sao Paulo GP, citing that he had his ‘reasons’ and Perez saying over the radio that this showed who he [Verstappen] really is.
In an interview, Perez even stated that if Verstappen has two championships, it’s because of him – a clear reference to Abu Dhabi 2021, where he held up Lewis Hamilton for almost two laps, and the Dutchman gained back around 8 seconds on his championship rival. This would prove crucial when the safety car came out. Considering this, Perez was clearly not happy with what transpired in Sao Paulo.
However, this ‘feud’ cooled off by the time of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and Red Bull were, by their own admission, treating P2 for Perez in the WDC as a ‘priority’. He was level on points with Charles Leclerc going into the weekend, but his tyre degradation wasn’t all that great, forcing him onto a two-stop. With a little defending from Hamilton, it meant that the Mexican and Red Bull could not achieve his goal.
While Perez’s father, Antonio had earlier given a statement suggesting that Verstappen perhaps felt threatened by his son’s success, he, like his son, seems to have eased off: “‘Checo’ will be at Red Bull for the next two years and everything that happened is a matter of teammates, they both want to succeed, they want to win but there is no bad intention.” he said, in conversation with Esto.
Papa Perez: Best of Sergio Perez yet to come
Antonio Perez also thinks that the best is yet to come from his son. The team have certainly shown confidence in Sergio, handing him a two-year contract extension over other possible candidates like Pierre Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda, or Liam Lawson. And with the progression shown in the past two seasons, now the Perez family only enjoys race wins: “We have a podium and we no longer enjoy it.“
He continued: “Now we don’t want a third place and we want pure first places, so I think the best of ‘Checo’ Pérez is coming and we have to enjoy it.” and added that his son’s next step is to win the world championship: “Now the ball is on his side, he has to prepare, work, concentrate to be the best. Today he is number three in the world, his next step is to be number one in the world.”
Antonio also stressed that the two Red Bull drivers must work as a team and that it’s a ‘competition for both drivers, not just one’. Sergio Perez’s career circumstances have gotten progressively better since 2020, and next year, he may certainly be in with a chance to challenge for the title but will be given stiff competition from his teammate, and possibly Mercedes and Ferrari.
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