On paper, the final result of the Saudi Arabian GP was a predicted Red Bull 1-2. However, behind the scenes, there was plenty to talk about. Red Bull’s Dutch world champion finished the race second after starting from P15. However, climbing the ladder was an issue he resolved by the 25th lap. The main challenge for Max Verstappen for the rest of the race was catching his teammate Sergio Perez. The Dutchman couldn’t snatch the victory from Perez but fought for the maximum points until the very end. Verstappen’s girlfriend Kelly Piquet celebrated the effort from Verstappen biting into the Red Bull drama.
It is no secret Red Bull favors Verstappen at every opportunity they get. The Dutchman is quite obviously the number one driver on the team and Perez takes the brunt of that occasionally, for ex Brazil in 2022. Ever since the incident in Brazil, there has been a visible tension between the two drivers.
There hasn’t been an obvious incident between the two since, but there are signs things might blow over soon. Verstappen desperately wanted to gain an extra point and snatched the fastest lap from Perez in the last lap of the race. Couple this with Jos Verstappen’s reaction to Perez’s win and one can foresee oncoming drama.
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Verstappen’s girlfriend Kelly Piquet also bit into it with her Instagram story caption celebrating her boyfriend’s race. She wrote, “What a drive 🔥🔥🔥”. She then, in smaller font, added, “And snatching that fastest lap 👀.”
The Brazilian model took a subtle dig at the Mexican who is currently Verstappen’s only competition. Although not many consider the Mexican a real threat.
Sergio Perez disregarded ahead of Max Verstappen in the championship battle
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The Dutchman was on another planet in 2022. In 2023, the Dutchman seems to be making a habit of winning. If it wasn’t for the Q2 exit, Verstappen would’ve started the race on the pole. With this belief in everyone’s mind, a Dutch racing driver completely disregarded Sergio Perez as a threat to Verstappen.
Speaking on Viaplay during his analysis, Tom Coronel said Verstappen will have no realistic threat from his teammate. “You only have the chance of pole if Verstappen drops out,” he said. “Let’s be very realistic for a moment: it’s about race pace. You drive fifty laps and race pace is managing your tires and checking how you handle them. We know that Pérez is not the strongest in this.” (Translated by Google)
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WATCH THIS STORY: How a Euphoric Sergio Perez Hilariously Leaked His Red Bull Contract Announcement at Monaco
The Mexican might have ambitions to win the championship, but he will have to prove a lot of people wrong and considerably improve his performance. Do you see Perez making the switch and taking it all the way to win the championship?