Mind Games Begin at Red Bull as Max Verstappen’s “Champion Mentality” Grabs the Limelight Despite Sergio Perez’s Win

Red Bull‘s brilliance coupled with Max Verstappen‘s sheer class on the track has left many scratching their heads. If last year was a show of absolute dominance, then what would one call the display they have dished out until now in 2023? Despite starting from P15, Verstappen finished P2 and deservedly took the Driver of the Day as well. However, the Dutchman was never going to settle for the bare minimum. Helmut Marko recently revealed how the reigning champion tricked his teammate Sergio Perez to take the fastest lap and stay on top in the standings.

After dominating the 3 practice sessions, Verstappen ran out of luck during qualifying on Saturday. On a flying lap during Q2, Max complained of noticing something wrong with the car. He soon found himself on his way to the pit lane and, owing to a driveshaft failure, was ruled out of the rest of the qualifying. Despite that, fans rooted for him to take the top spot once again.

Fans laud Max Verstappen for his ruthless mentality despite Perez’s heroics in Jeddah

After realizing that he could not challenge Checo for the top spot anymore, Max played a sly trick on his teammate to get the fastest lap. In an interview with ORF, Helmut Marko told how he did that.

“Typical Max on the last lap with the fastest race lap. That was uncontrollable. That’s just Max. Both were constantly asking who had the fastest lap and Max waited until the last lap so Perez couldn’t counter. It means the lead in the world championship for him. We are very satisfied with the race,” Marko said.

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Have a look at how fans reacted to Marko’s statement, revealing how competitive the defending champ is.

Some were afraid the two Red Bull drivers were going to develop a rivalry if they were both this competitive.

Another fan felt this was exactly what separated the Dutchman from the rest of the grid.

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Currently, there is just one point separating Verstappen and Perez. If this is the way they are both going to go about their business this year, fans surely are in for a treat.