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Red Bull Boss Makes Honest Confession to “Banana Skins” Accusation on Max Verstappen & Sergio Perez Conflict

Shreya Sanjeev
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Max Verstappen Almost Damages $200,000 Worth Parts of Sergio Perez’s Car in Post-Race Celebration

Christian Horner is once again stuck with two competitive drivers in two competitive cars. Slowly resembling the Vettel-Button era, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez have been at odds with each other ever since the fateful day of the 2022 Brazilian GP.

The tensions have been rising between the two garages, as more recently, there was a miscommunication regarding Verstappen and Perez’s target time laps which helped the reigning champion bag the fastest lap at the end of the race, thus making a statement and maintain his championship lead.

Christian Horner opens up on Max Verstappen- Sergio Perez drama

On a recent SkySports podcast, David Croft gave his opinion on the increasing friction between the duo. Looking at the footage from the cooldown room, Croft knew something was up. The F1 pundit looks at what this could mean for the team.

“Perez is in the last year of his contract and if there are no signs of another deal coming, what’s in it for Sergio to help his team-mate in the way Red Bull would like? I think there are a few banana skins down the road.”

This, and many more speculations swirled around the Red Bull team as Horner provided an insight into what is really going on. According to the team boss, both his drivers are up for the championship, with the Golden Boot not receiving any special favors.  “The responsibility is to give both drivers the same chance, the same opportunity, the same car – it’s then down to what they do on the circuit.”

Further, Horner also took the opportunity to clear the air around the relationship shared by the Red Bull duo. “We’ve got two great drivers in Max and Sergio, there’s a healthy respect between the two of the them, I expect that to continue.”

Verstappen’s warning to Perez and Red Bull

On the same weekend, Verstappen’s RB18 suffered a drive shaft failure that forced the driver to crawl back into the pits during the qualifying session in Jeddah. This forced car #1 to face the lights in P15, while the sister Red Bull sat comfortably in pole position.

Despite a glorious climb to P2, Verstappen wasn’t happy. “Personally, I am not happy because I am not here to be second.” Infuriated by the reliability issues of the car, Verstappen also warned his team that it could affect their championship run because of one crucial factor- it’s between the two teammates.

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“When you’re fighting for a championship and especially when it looks like it’s just between two cars, you have to make sure that also the two cars are reliable.”

Now, two races in, Verstappen’s fastest lap move has sounded the battle horns. As the circus moves to Australia next weekend, it will be interesting to see what the team pulls out of their pockets next.

About the author

Shreya Sanjeev

Shreya Sanjeev

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Shreya Sanjeev is an F1 journalist at the SportsRush. Two years in the field and an ever-growing love for the sport drive her dream to walk around the paddock one day with a mic in hand. A Red Bull fan through and through, her “favorite driver” spot was once held by notable alumni Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, and now, the Dutch Lion himself, Max Verstappen. Apart from F1, she muses in the NBA and cheers on for Steph Curry and his Warriors, while also jumping on the NFL bandwagon.

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