Drama settled in the Red Bull garage as the chequered flag was waved for the 2022 Brazilian GP. In the dying laps, Sergio Perez, P7 at the time, requested Red Bull’s pitwall for a swap in positions with Max Verstappen who was ahead of him.
But Max declined any intentions to yield positions with Perez. The Dutchman aggressively replied to his engineer that they should never make such a command as Max had ‘reasons’ to not do so.
Perez was aiming to seal P2 in the Driver’s Championship. But after the race, Perez was demoted to 3rd place in the ranking as the battle for 2nd place headed to Abu Dhabi.
Had Max allowed him to pass, the Mexican would have been ahead in the rankings. And this has brought a new divide in Red Bull.
What is the reason Max Verstappen did not let Sergio Perez through in Brazil?
Max Verstappen was instructed in the last lap to let Sergio Perez through. To which the Dutchman responded with a fiery radio message saying, he had “reasons” and would not do so.
Perez was clearly upset with Max’s decision saying, “It shows what he is worth,” on the team radio. He later retaliated on the post-race debrief saying, “After all, I’ve done for him, It’s a bit disappointing. I think if he has two Championships, it’s thanks to me.”
Many theorised that the reason referred by Max was when Perez hit the barrier before the tunnel section in Monaco GP’s Qualifying. This brought out the Red Flags and cost Verstappen a pole position.
Perez would later claim a race win in Monaco. He later admitted it to Helmut Marko and Christian Horner. And this has left a scar in Verstappen’s memory ever since.
Helmut Marko says Checo’s P2 is priority for Red Bull
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko will have a long debrief with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez after the race. But the Austrian has underlined that Perez’s P2 will be the priority ahead of the season Finale in Yas Marina.
Marko Said, “At Abu Dhabi, Max will do everything possible for Checo to get 2nd place in the driver’s championship. Everything is cleared up internally. That’s the goal for Abu Dhabi.” Max did not comment on what the reason was.
Max sympathised with his teammate’s frustrations but has stood by his decision to not let Checo through. He said, “I gave my reasons. I’m not going to say why, but I think they understood.”
And the Dutchman is committed to aiding his teammate. “We go to Abu Dhabi. Of course, we want to win the race but if there’s a chance to help Checo I will. That’s why it was important we had this meeting now.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez are tied for the same points. But because Leclerc has more wins, he leads Perez in the Championship. Red Bull have to date never finished 1-2 in the Driver’s championship.
The fight for P2 will go down the wire in Abu Dhabi and the driver that pulls ahead will surely be crowned runners-up. But if both Perez and Leclerc retire, Leclerc will still retain P2.
