After a sprint race and Grand Prix win in Baku, Sergio Perez cut his deficit to Max Verstappen in the driver’s standings. Perez now trails the Dutchman by only 6 points. The performance in Azerbaijan was a signal by the Mexican that he will not give up on his title hopes yet.
However, the enthusiasm wasn’t shared by everyone in the Red Bull garage. Team Principal Christian Horner remarked that Perez was lucky to win because of the favorable timing of the safety car.
“It is what it is”
No complaints from Max after Checo profited from the Safety Car#AzerbaijanGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/HHuCIVYkDt
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 30, 2023
This raised questions if Red Bull will allow their two drivers to duel on-track for the championship. According to Ralf Schumacher, it’s a straight no! The former F1 driver claims the Austrian outfit would never risk disappointing their star driver Verstappen.
No chance for Sergio Perez to become the 2023 champion ahead of Max Verstappen
In the first four races of the season, Red Bull have claimed three 1-2 finishes. Both Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen have two victories each. Verstappen leads the Mexican driver by a slight margin which can tip at any given stage of the season.
Given that the RB19 is the fastest car on the grid, the Dutchman knows his teammate will be his biggest threat in the title race. However, Schumacher claims that Red Bull will never risk a situation where their star driver is unhappy. He believes Red Bull will always favour the 2x champion which will be imminent once upgrades or strategies are developed later in the season.
Christian Horner says Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen remain free to race each other during the 2023 season ✅
The Red Bull team-mates are currently separated by just 6 points in the championship and both have two wins.
Who do you think will come out on top? 🤔#F1 pic.twitter.com/pRorDU0eIN— Autosport (@autosport) May 1, 2023
The German does not consider the Mexican driver a favorite to win the title. Schumacher wrote in his column for Sky Sports Germany, “I don’t think Perez has the consistency of Verstappen.”
He added, “Checo sometimes makes a mistake under pressure when he’s not too happy with the car. Verstappen doesn’t make those mistakes, so I think he’ll be the better driver throughout the year.”
Plenty of options available for Red Bull to replace Perez
Schumacher also claimed that Verstappen won’t stay quiet if Perez overtakes his lead in the driver’s standings. This was visible when the Dutchman went against his team’s order to claw an extra point for the fastest lap during the 2023 Saudi Arabian GP.
Schumacher claims Red Bull will never allow a situation like Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton to develop within the team. However, if the two drivers are engaged in a brutal duel for the title, it will be the Mexican who will get the boot.
“If there is a troubled relationship between Verstappen and Perez then it would make sense to part ways with the Mexican,” he wrote in his article.
🗣️ | 🇦🇿 Checo on his relationship with Max:
“It’s a great relationship, between Max and myself, because, although not many people believe [it], we are very similar.”
“We have a life out of the sport and we are at home, we disconect from it.” pic.twitter.com/fraxM4bMJ5
— RBR News 🇳🇱🇲🇽 (@redbulletin) April 30, 2023
The two drivers have had some heated arguments over the radio. In 2022 Brazilian GP, Perez called his teammate ungrateful after the Dutchman did not let him pass. This cost Perez the chance to finish P2 in the championship.
He added, “If you look closely, you can see that the teammates don’t get along well. And if a team has two pilots who don’t harmonize with each other, then that’s a big disadvantage for the team in the end.”
Red Bull has Daniel Ricciardo on standby for the entire season. The team can also promote Yuki Tsunoda from their sister team AlphaTauri for the 2024 season if tensions develop between Verstappen and Perez.
