Red Bull Shoulder the Blame for Causing Max Verstappen-Sergio Perez Rift in Latest Confession

Max Verstappen disobeyed direct orders from his team at the Brazilian GP, in 2022. He refused to let Sergio Perez ahead of him when the team asked the already-crowned champion to give up his position in favor of his teammate. The denial of Max ultimately caused Sergio Perez his second spot in the championship. The team had to step in to take charge of the situation in the aftermath of the race. However, Horner recently admitted that the team should be blamed rather than either of the drivers.

When Verstappen was asked to play the team game on the last lap during the Sao Paulo GP  he responded very harshly and denied giving up his place. This left the F1 world shocked beyond wits, as the team’s dirty laundry was out in the air. The Mexican minister of defense had helped the team and their champion on several occasions, but when the time came for the favor to be returned, he was left high and dry.

The conjecture around the paddock was that Verstappen had been upset due to an incident at Monaco GP. This was probably the reason for his resistance to the team orders in Brazil. Post the race, there was an ugly back and forth which continued till the interviews and even saw family members get involved.

However, putting a united front, the team took onus of the events. The team principal Christian Horner said ideally the team strategy is to be blamed. As quoted by Sky Sports Christian Horner stated, “I think it was something that, as we hadn’t envisaged it, we hadn’t discussed it before the race, and I think that was a mistake on our part, that we should have thought through or tried to think through every single scenario.”

He further added, “As a team we didn’t discuss it and come up with a very clear plan. Obviously, it was unfortunate what happened, but it was quickly discussed, openly and transparently. And both drivers were very clear, open, and honest with each other, and from that as a team we move on and the dynamic between the drivers is absolutely fine.”

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Red Bull found the ideal teammate for their Dutch Lion, in Sergio Perez. But they admittedly failed to hold their end of the bargain towards the Mexican, costing him the P2.

Sergio Perez lost even when his team brought home both championships

The Monday following the dramatic Brazilian GP, Perez and the team put out a statement saying that the issue had been ‘internally’ resolved and they move into Abu Dhabi GP as a team. Max also stated that he will do everything in his capacity to help his Mexican teammate.

Charles Leclerc and Checo Perez entered the weekend with the intention to grab P2 in the championship. However, the dent had already been put in Perez’s battle the previous weekend. To add to Perez’s misery, Leclerc showcased a master-class drive and snatched second place in the 2022 championship.

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The reigning champions begin their defense in a few weeks’ time. As the team claims, all is well between the drivers, only time will tell if there is any love lost between them.