After Sergio Perez won the 2023 Saudi Arabian GP, most people noticed that Max Verstappen’s father Jos was not particularly pleased. The Verstappen family is very competitive and they are determined to win every race they take part in. However, fans felt Verstappen Sr. should have been happy for Perez this one time.
In a video of Perez’s after-race celebration, people noticed how Jos Verstappen stood still, not showing any joy or even congratulating the Mexican on his fifth F1 win. This led to fans slamming him and calling him salty but a recent video taken from the other side of the paddock shows that Max’s father did congratulate Perez.
Perez was ecstatic after his win, which puts him just one point behind teammate Verstappen, and was celebrating with his Red Bull mechanics. Just when he was pulling away to get ready for the podium celebrations, he put his hand out to Jos to shake it, and the latter followed it.
Fans slam Jos Verstappen despite shaking hands with Sergio Perez
First, fans were unhappy to see that Verstappen did not shake hands with Perez. Now, they are unhappy because of the manner in which the former F1 driver shook it. Many people on social media pointed out that Verstappen only put his hand forward after Perez looked at him and initiated the handshake.
Had Perez not put his hand ahead to shake it, the two-time world champion’s father would probably have ignored him like he initially was, and this was labeled as poor sportsmanship by many.
Jos Verstappen was not the only person unhappy with Perez’s win, however, as his son Max too showed his disappointment after the race. The 25-year-old did not say anything against Perez, and even congratulated him but in the post-race press conference, said that he was not happy with the team and that he wasn’t there to finish second.
Perez vs Verstappen title battle?
Perez’s win at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit puts him just one point behind Verstappen in the drivers’ championship standings. It is still early days in the season, but a potential Perez vs Verstappen title battle is exciting for fans, who want to see someone rise up to the latter’s challenge.
Both drivers insist that they’ll have a fair and clean fight in case they do have to fight each other, but whether Red Bull will give them the green light or not, is yet to be seen.
