Teammate Sergio Perez said, 'after all I’ve done for him it’s a bit disappointing, to be honest.'
Mark ThompsonGetty Images- Red Bull approved Max Verstappen to pass teammate Sergio Perez in a bid to try and overhaul Fernando Alonso, and potentially Charles Leclerc, in Brazil on Sunday.
- But when it was clear Verstappen was unable to overtake Alonso, they issued an instruction for Verstappen to relinquish sixth place back to Perez.
- Perez is in a battle for second place in the F1 Drivers’ Championship and could have used the championship point for finishing in front of his teammate.
- Verstappen, however, refused to help his teammate.
Red Bull has had a superb year in Formula 1, with both titles under its belt, but its run of nine successive victories came to a shuddering halt.
Max Verstappen tried to to take second from Hamilton early on in Sunday’s F1 Brazilian Grand Prix, but the two made contact and Verstappen was deemed responsible. The front wing damage caused an unscheduled stop, leaving him off sequence, but he recovered to move up to seventh place late—behind teammate Sergio Perez, who was struggling on harder tires.
Sergio Perez was not exactly thrilled with teammate Max Verstappen on Sunday.
Mario Renzi – Formula 1Getty Images
Red Bull approved Verstappen to pass Perez in a bid to try and overhaul Fernando Alonso, and potentially Charles Leclerc, but when it was clear he was unable to do so they issued an instruction for Verstappen to relinquish sixth place back to Perez. Why? Well, Perez is in a close fight with Leclerc over second spot in the standings.
Verstappen, who finished sixth, did not obey the order, leaving Perez seventh, and instead of potentially being two points clear of Leclerc they will go to Abu Dhabi level on points—with Leclerc currently in front on results countback tiebreaker.
“I told you already last time, you guys don’t ask that again of me, OK? Are we clear about that? I gave my reasons and I stand by it,” said Verstappen on the radio.
Perez, who received an apology on the slow-down lap from team boss Christian Horner, retorted “eh, it shows who he really is!”
There was a meeting held in Red Bull’s hospitality unit in the immediate aftermath of the race between Horner, Verstappen, Verstappen’s manager Raymond Vermeulen and race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase where feelings were conveyed, but the exact meaning behind Verstappen’s stance remained behind closed doors.
“… after all I’ve done for him it’s a bit disappointing, to be honest.”
“I have my reasons for that, we sat together and talked about it and move forward from here,” said Verstappen. “If he needs the help (in Abu Dhabi) anyway I’ll be there, but we have cleared what was there, why I didn’t do it (give up the position).
Perez explained that “after all I’ve done for him it’s a bit disappointing, to be honest.”
It was a nothing race result for Red Bull in the context of its staggeringly successful 2022 but Verstappen’s stance created an unexpectedly unsavory atmosphere heading to the finale, while opening a can of worms.
Keyword: Max Verstappen Shows True Colors by Rejecting Red Bull F1 Team Orders in Brazil