“Lap Dog” Sergio Perez & “Sunshine Boy” Max Verstappen’s Roles Set in Stone Leaving Fans Reacting to Former F1 Champ’s Bold Prediction

‘How to be the best teammate 101’ might be the title of Sergio Perez‘s memoirs from his time at Red Bull. The Mexican who almost got shown the exit door from F1 was given a second chance and that too with a top team. The only unsaid condition being Max Verstappen is the undisputed number one. For a man who saw a rebirth of his career, it was a win-win situation. An ex-F1 world champion believes Perez is down to do the team’s dirty work and it has worked in their favor.

The world saw how Checo played an integral role in aiding Max Verstappen to win his first world title. The defense against Lewis Hamilton at Turkey and Abu Dhabi GP in 2021 was such a masterclass that it earned him the nickname of ‘Minister of defense’. Checo was called an absolute legend by Max in 2021, but in the next season, he didn’t reciprocate the favor. But Mika Hakkinen thinks that though ‘dirty’, the established order of preference works for the team.

In a clip posted by Hakkinen himself, he said, “Perez is a good teammate. He’s allowed to be the naughty one. He seems to be very obedient. What I mean by naughty is that sometimes the team asks him to do things, such as slowing others down, Sergio doesn’t care. He’ll slow them down. Whether it is quali or the race, he’ll do what he is asked to do. I think it’s dirty, but if it works, it works.”

The world needed just that affirmation to go all guns blazing, dissecting Checo’s role at Red Bull. And wondering if the dynamics will still remain intact at the Milton Keynes outfit.

Fans join Mika Hakkinen to echo emotions towards Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez dynamic

The F1 Twitter joined forces in the comments section to give their 2 cents on the hierarchy at Red Bull.

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Many chimed in to remember 2021, and the masterclass defense shown by Checo in aiding and helping Max win the championship and bring home the trophy after years of waiting. A few pointed fingers at Max Verstappen for needing his teammate to slow down the competition while a few were happy to see an authoritative figure of a world champion give out his verdict.

Some motivated the second in line at Red Bull to step up his game, while others wondered if the Mexican will still be willing to help his teammate after the Brazil GP incident.

In the end, Mika Hakkinen gave out his prediction for the upcoming season.

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What are your predictions for the dynamics of the duo at Red Bull? Will Sergio Perez still be a team player, sacrificing himself for the greater good?