Red Bull team boss Christian Horner recently pointed out the key difference between the team’s current driver pairing of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez and that of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.
The Briton claimed that Verstappen and Perez have a “less stressful” relationship as teammates and have proven they work well together for the good of the team. With Red Bull securing their first constructors’ championship title this year since the 2013 F1 season, Horner emphasized that they played a big role in pushing the team to reach its potential and extracting the maximum of the car.
As reported by RacingNews365.com, Horner compared the team’s current driver line-up to the pair of Vettel and Webber, who had their fair share of controversies. Hey said:
“Less stressful with these guys than the previous two! They’ve been great, they’ve worked incredibly well together. They’ve pushed the team hard. And I think, when you look at, for example, the amount of accident damage we’ve had this year, it’s been the lowest of any single team.” “It’s been truly a team effort, I think. It’s the going that extra yard that makes a difference. Whether it’s been behind the scenes on the simulator, whether it’s in the composite department, whether it’s in research and development, within the design department , across all of these different functions. Formula 1 is the biggest team sport in the world, and there are some of the most competitive teams in the world out there. So, particularly after a nine-year period, to win that Constructors’ trophy and defend the Drivers’ Championship this year, it has been an incredible year for us.”
While Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez proved to be among the strongest team pairings in the 2021 season, this year we got to witness some friction between the two at the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix. After the Dutchman had already secured the drivers’ championship title at the Japanese Grand Prix, he had a chance to improve his teammate’s prospects of taking second place in the championship by giving up a sixth-place position.
However, Max Verstappen refused to give up the place, eventually leading to plenty of criticism from fans across the world. While Perez had some understandably harsh opinions on the matter, Red Bull and both drivers quickly clarified that the matter had been resolved internally. At the end of the season, the Mexican finished third in the championship.
Former F1 driver explains why Max Verstappen treated the 2022 championship differently
Max Verstappen took a visibly different approach towards the championship this season as compared to the last, where his main rival was statically the best F1 driver in the history of the sport.
With Lewis Hamilton essentially out of contention for the title from the very beginning of the season, the world got to see a much less aggressive side to the 25-year-old, who fought Charles Leclerc for the title until it became quite apparent that he was in a league of his own.
Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok believes that unlike in his battle with Hamilton, Verstappen viewed the likes of Leclerc and George Russell as his “peers”.
Speaking on Sky Sports F1’s 2022 season review, Chandhok said:
“Lewis is the king of the castle and he has been this generation. Max felt that he had to assert himself against Lewis, knock him off his throne. Whereas he sees Charles, George [Russell]Carlos [Sainz] as his peers and that’s why he races them differently.”
Max Verstappen had an absurdly dominant season this year, as he broke the record for most race wins in a single season.
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