Despite being the best team on the grid, Red Bull has a conundrum on their hands. While Max Verstappen continues to extend his lead in the WDC, Sergio Perez is faltering. After his last win at Baku, Perez had become a self-proclaimed Championship contender. That claim did not stand the test of time as the Mexican racer found himself in a rut. In Austria, to try and get his hands on something, he almost shunted the Dutchman before Turn 1. And an F1 expert can’ believe why Helmut Marko hasn’t advised Verstappen to not trust his teammate.

During the Lap 1 battle between the teammates, the Red Bull staff probably had their hearts in their mouths. Fortunately, there was no contact between the two cars. But after Turn 3, both drivers sounded upset on the team radio with each other’s movements. Putting Sergio Perez‘s rough patch in perspective, Peter Windsor said he was surprised that Verstappen was not wary of his teammate’s intentions, indirectly dissing father Jos for not alerting his son.

Analyzing the race on his Youtube channel, Windsor said, “Why Helmut Marko, who I guess is the guy he (Verstappen) listens to most, maybe his dad, didn’t say to him and hasn’t said to him on a regular basis, ‘Dont’ trust Perez’. You may get on with him face to face, maybe okay in debriefs, maybe okay in front of the TV cameras. But don’t trust him in racing situations because of everything that’s happened, because of the way for sure he’s feeling.”

Windsor believes that their relationship might have already soured. And even Red Bull might not be impressed with it. But Perez had a different defensive take on the Lap 1 battle.

Read More: “We Need to Have a Chat”: Uncomfortable Conversation Awaits Christian Horner as Max Verstappen & Sergio Perez Have a Go at Each Other

Sergio Perez Cites Lack of Visibility as the Cause for a Nearly Shunting Max Verstappen

The Sprint Race started as a dangerous affair for Red Bull, with their drivers battling it out for P1. And a wet track wasn’t doing any favors. Neither of them was very impressed with the other’s maneuvers. After the race, they had a heated discussion in front of the camera for a long minute or so. But Perez said that it was the rain that had caused the loss of visibility.

After the race, Perez said, “The visibility was a factor in it. Although it was raining a little bit, with these big tires it is really difficult to see anything. I got a good start but I had a bad Turn One so I tried to protect my line but didn’t see Max was alongside me.”

Such a battle in the Sprint Race might have been a nervous affair for Red Bull. But the main race should be a comparatively safer affair for them. Verstappen starts P1 and Perez starts P15. Can Sergio Perez pull off what Verstappen did in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – P15 to P2?

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