By 
Sergio Perez of Red Bull said teammate Max Verstappen demonstrated “who he really is” by refusing to give up a place in Sunday’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The radio comment came after the Mexican let Verstappen overtake with the understanding that if the Dutch driver could not pass Alpine’s Fernando Alonso for fifth place, the position would be returned.
Perez needs every point to beat Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to second place overall, while Verstappen has already won the championship. Red Bull has never finished first and second in the driver standings.
Perez and Leclerc now have 290 points each, with Leclerc leading 3-2 in race wins. The fact that Ferrari allowed Carlos Sainz to finish ahead of him did not help the Monegasque.
Verstappen, who had been penalised for a collision with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, was told by his engineer Gianpiero Lambiase to let Perez through at the finish, but he disregarded the advice and finished sixth, with Perez seventh.
“Max, what happened?,” asked Lambiase.
“I told you already last time, you guys don’t ask that again to me, okay?” replied Verstappen. “Are we clear about that? I gave my reasons and I stand by it.”
Tension after the flag for Max and Checo 🏁#BrazilGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/hyEX5OZwa9
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 13, 2022
Christian Horner apologised to Perez: “I’m sorry for that Checo,” he said.
“He shows who he really is,” replied the Mexican.
“I was told to let him by, that I was going to get back the position,” he said tp Sky Sports.
“Maybe you should ask him about it… after all I’ve done for him, it’s a bit disappointing to be honest. I am really surprised.”
Comments