Until Max Verstappen surprisingly turned down Red Bull’s request to pass the team in the closing stages of the Brazilian Grand Prix, few suspected a rift between the two drivers.
After the race, Sergio Perez somewhat understated how crucial his supporting role was to both of Verstappen’s championship victories. But there is no doubt that he is closer to Verstappen’s pace than his former team-mates and that has proved useful at times for the world champion.
Last year, Perez derailed Verstappen’s title rival Lewis Hamilton with a spectacular performance at the Turkish Grand Prix, delaying the field. He repeated his performance in Abu Dhabi, where Perez’s contribution cost Hamilton several laps, denying him the chance to pit later on fresh tires and defend himself against Verstappen’s last-lap attack.
This year, too, Perez played the role of Submissive Number Two. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner praised the working relationship between the two drivers, in an interview released during the recent Brazilian Grand Prix weekend.
“There’s a lot of respect between the two of them,” Horner told Channel 4. Both are at different stages of their careers. Checo doesn’t seem to mind the challenge of finding Max as a teammate. But he has enough faith in himself and his own abilities.
“He’s done some amazing drives this year, he’s second in the world championships because of his high level. His two grand prix wins this year in Monaco and Singapore have been outstanding performances. Certainly at the beginning of the year, he went fast on the car, it was perfect for him. That pole position in Saudi Arabia, again, another road circuit, another brave supporting circuit, he was very good there.
“So I think it’s been a very good year for Sergio and I think the respect between the two drivers, the relationship between the two drivers has been amazing.”
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But that friend was conspicuous by his absence in Interlagos on Sunday night.
Following a late safety car period, Red Bull told Perez to allow Verstappen to attack Fernando Alonso, promising him that he would regain his position if no progress was made. Incredibly, the same message was not conveyed to Verstappen at the time. Only on the final lap was he told to drop back and let Perez pass.
However, Verstappen’s refusal to step aside was so emphatic that it seems doubtful he would have obeyed it in any case. “I told you last time, don’t ask me that again, okay,” Verstappen emphasized: “Are we clear about that? I explained my reasons and stood by him.
“It shows who he is,” Perez said as he returned to the dugout. One interesting detail of the exchange was how quickly Horner apologized to Perez on the radio and didn’t talk to Verstappen at the same time.
Following the race, Verstappen was tight-lipped about exactly what the cause was. But when asked by Sky if they were related to the events of the Monaco Grand Prix, he replied: “You can decide that. I don’t say.
Perez’s Monaco Grand Prix win was one of what Horner described as an “incredible performance”, after hitting obstacles in the final races of qualifying. The crash ended his session and ensured Perez would start third ahead of Verstappen.
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Because it is relatively easy to raise a red flag, which ends the session and prevents rivals from improving their times, drivers have been accused of deliberate accidents during Monaco qualifying. In the year In 2006, Michael Schumacher was fined. Hamilton’s Nico Rosberg was suspected of going on the Mirabeau escape route eight years later for the same reason, but he was not punished.
Whether Perez did the same or not, the incident appears to have sparked Verstappen’s anger. By the time of the impact, Verstappen had set personal best times in the seven minor disciplines he had competed in. Perez was slow in six of the nine he covered, fast in one and fastest in all two. The overall time in one sector was slow.
Of course, Perez didn’t crash on purpose, but there’s no doubt that Verstappen had every reason to believe that if the session had ended without a hitch, he would have disqualified his team-mate. “This must not be allowed,” Lambiasse said over the radio as he sat waiting to retrieve Perez’s car.
The willingness of Verstappen’s team to defy instructions from the team should surprise no one. In the year He did the same at the 2015 Singapore Grand Prix when he and Sainz were teammates at Toro Rosso.
But regardless of his views on what happened at Monaco, he did himself no favors by publicly falling out with the team. If Perez needs a reminder of the value of being on the sidelines, Verstappen should remember the circumstances of the race that preceded and followed.
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A week ago in Spain, Verstappen went into the race with a 19-point lead on his team-mate on his way to victory, but on two separate occasions he was thrown out. On the first occasion, Perez was told, “Give it now, we’ll get it back later,” but no payment came. However, two weeks after Monaco in Azerbaijan, Perez visited Verstappen again when he ordered.
Verstappen doesn’t give anything away on the track – as Sunday’s race showed – and it’s the same with him. But in this case, you should think that he has chosen an unnecessary fight against his will.
It’s clear that a driver who has won 14 this year won’t need a sixth place finish in the world championship. In the championship, he picked up two worthless points, showing his composure with the team. It tells us that time is the price to pay.
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