Sergio Perez is finally asserting his role at Red Bull. Since joining the Milton-Keynes-based outfit in 2021, the Mexican played a deputy role to Max Verstappen and assisted him in clinching two consecutive championship titles.
However, Perez is pushing for a more glorious run at his current team and wants to have a chance to cement his name in the glorious list of men in F1. The only issue has been whether Red Bull would be eager to support him.
And during the Thursday press conference in Australia, Perez reveals that he has full support from his team. He also claims that more than ever, he now feels like a part of the team and gets enough respect, which is boosting his confidence to go for the title.
Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez are getting equal support
The Mexican race driver also claimed that in the past two years, it felt like Red Bull was featuring him because they were obligated to have two drivers. Hence, indicating they had their whole focus on Verstappen. But now, they are giving him equal support in car development.
“I really believe that I have full support of the team as much as Max does, and that I will have every single opportunity to win the championship as much as Max,” said Perez.
Perez is confident about having a good campaign because the RB19 also suits his driving style and helped him to have a comfortable win in Saudi Arabia. So, it’s nothing short of a warning to Verstappen, whose biggest adversary is none other than his own teammate this year.
Rising tensions in Red Bull camp
It seems like Red Bull is genuinely interested in giving a fair chance to Perez for the title. They told Verstappen not to focus on the fastest lap in Saudi Arabia and get home with a safe P1-2 result.
However, Verstappen once again and not surprisingly defied that order and went on to clinch the extra point. That extra point only is the current differential between the two Red Bull drivers after round two of this season.
In the cooling room, Perez looked conspicuously disappointed with his teammate’s ‘greedy approach’ to the extra point. Surely, the cracks are widening in the already strained relationship between Red Bull drivers.
