Sergio Perez joined the Red Bull F1 team in the 2021 season taking a seat next to Max Verstappen. His contribution helped the team score their first constructors’ title after 2013.
The Mexican driver even helped his teammate clinch his titles, but there came one point in the last season when Perez got betrayed by his teammate.
The controversy erupted at the 2022 Brazil GP opened a can of worms for the team. It raised many questions about the relationship between the two drivers.
Perez publicly stated that “it shows who he really is” at the 2022 Brazil GP. He was disappointed even after the race and said ‘after all I’ve done for him.’
While it all got settled at a private meeting that Red Bull held, it seems as though, Perez is still a little hurt from the incident.
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Sergio Perez ready to not provide any support
The new season is set to start this weekend with the inaugural race to be held at the Bahrain GP. After three days of testing on the same venue, the drivers have returned to the track for the first race of the 2023 season.
Max Verstappen has been dominating the sport for the past two seasons and is a favourite to win his 3rd title as well.
Perez has helped the Dutchman on multiple occasions in the latter’s bid for the championship title. One of his most prominent contributions at the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP landed him the nickname ‘Minister of Defense.’
Although heading into the 2023 season, Perez revealed how selfish he will be to further his own career. He said that in the end teamwork is always important. But if he doesn’t get any support when he needs it, he won’t offer his support either.
Sergio Perez when asked how selfish he can be this year:
“Well, it depends. In the end teamwork it’s always important. But obviously if I see I don’t receive the support I need I won’t give my support either.” #F1 #Formula1 #BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/w5izXLMuyA
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) March 2, 2023
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What happened at the 2022 Brazil GP?
Verstappen refused to follow orders from the team at the Brazil GP. He was running P6 with his teammate right behind me.
Perez needed higher points more because he was competing against Charles Leclerc for P2 in the championship standings.
When the Dutchman was asked to swap places with his teammate, he said, “I told you already last summer, guys, don’t ask that again to me. Okay? Are we clear about that? I gave my reasons, and I stand by it.”
This erupted into a major controversy inside the Red Bull camp. Two Dutch journalist close to the Milton-Keynes team later revealed that Verstappen did so because of what Perez did at the Monaco Grand Prix earlier in the year.
The two-time world champion believes that Perez intentionally crashed at the end of the qualifying so as to secure P1.
