Despite all the accolades Red Bull collected in the 2022 season, they also had to do some damage control. The damage control is specific to the Brazilian GP regarding an incident involving Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. However, old footage showcases that the Dutchman was not always this ruthless against his teammates.
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We know Verstappen did not let Perez pass him during the Brazilian GP, despite the team’s orders. Verstappen faced a lot of backlash because of this scenario. However, unearthed footage showcases Verstappen as a much more accommodating teammate. Or maybe we can credit his then behavior to his relationship with Daniel Ricciardo.
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In their last year together, Verstappen showcased a much more mature side towards Ricciardo in the 2018 Austrian GP qualifying session. The Australian was ahead of Verstappen during the qualifying, but because of an issue, he did not have the pace.
Seeing his teammate struggle, a concerned Verstappen asked on his radio, “Why is Daniel stopping?” He got a, “I don’t know, carry on!” reply from his trackside engineer.
After a while, Verstappen asked again, “GP (Gianpiero Lambiase) what’s going on?” However, when Lambiase replied, “Overtake him mate, just overtake him.” Verstappen put his foot down and said, “No! Last weekend I was in front. Now he’s in front, come on man!”
When Lambiase instructed Verstappen to overtake, the Dutchman showcased his true character. He said, “No! It’s discipline!”
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The bromance between the two Red Bull men was real, as it showed during their time together. This could’ve been the reason Verstappen and Ricciardo share a good relationship despite their crash in Baku.
However, what went wrong with his relationship with Perez?
What made Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez’s relationship sour?
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A simple answer would be, we are not sure. There are a lot of rumors swirling around that it was the incidents in Monaco where Perez might’ve caused a red flag. These rumors gathered traction, especially after Verstappen’s comments post the race at Interlagos.
Formula One F1 – Mexico City Grand Prix – Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City, Mexico – October 29, 2022 Red Bull’s Max Verstappen celebrates with Red Bull’s Sergio Perez after qualifying in pole position REUTERS/Carlos Perez Gallardo/Pool
He said, “It’s not about saying sorry. It’s more about what happened this year. Something happened. We didn’t communicate well enough to each other and to the team. I gave my stance in Mexico about it.”
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We are not sure what that something is, but there is definitely something that has tainted their relationship. Do you think the two will part ways or work together as a unit with Red Bull in 2023?
