Red Bull drivers did not finish on the podium in Brazil. But that’s probably not the main problem. Max Verstappen has shown a certain rebellion.
Sergio Pérez struggled with worn medium tires at the end of the race. He had opponents behind him on the soft. It wasn’t a bad strategy, Pérez only had one set of soft tires before the start and he started with that. So he didn’t have many options for the next two stints.
Ferrari drivers and Fernando Alonso got ahead of Pérez after the race resumed. Pérez let teammate Max Verstappen go, saying if Verstappen fails to gain more places, there will be another exchange on the final lap.
Up for grabs weren’t podiums, but sixth place. The difference between sixth and seventh place is two points, and this will come in handy for Pérez as he battles Leclerc for second place in the championship.
Verstappen’s race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, told the defending champion he would have to let Pérez go if he didn’t pass Alonso at the final corner.
As Verstappen approached the finish line without letting go of Pérez, Lambias reminded him of the “request” – three more times. However, Verstappen didn’t react to this and finished ahead of his teammate.
“What happened?” Lambias Verstappen asked at the finish line.
“I already told you last time, don’t ask me again, okay? It’s clear? I explained my reasons and I support them,” Verstappen replied.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner apologized to Pérez on team radio. “It shows who he really is,” Pérez replied.
Leclerc and Pérez now have the same number of championship points. Leclerc took second place thanks to multiple victories.
It will help him in Abu Dhabi
“In Abu Dhabi, Max will do everything to give Checo 2nd place in the Drivers’ Championship. Everything is clarified internally. That is Abu Dhabi’s goal,” said Helmut Marko after the race.
Verstappen also confirmed this. “If there’s an opportunity to help Chec, I will…” said Verstappen. “I understand why he’s disappointed, but they also have to understand why I did it, I told them the reasons.”
Sky Sports asked Verstappen if there were any past reasons behind his decision. Verstappen said “yes” but didn’t elaborate.
Wild speculation
“What Tom Coronel (Dutch racing driver and columnist) just said about ViaPlay is correct,” De Telegraaf journalist Erik Van Haren wrote on Twitter.
“Pérez crashed intentionally qualifying in Munich and later admitted it to Helmut Mark and Christian Horner. Max Verstappen hasn’t forgotten that.”
