While Max Verstappen‘s masterful performance in the Miami GP brought him closer to winning the third world championship, it turned out to be a humiliating race for Sergio Perez. Both the Red Bull drivers went into the race with one goal- to win the race and lead the championship. As a result, both drivers engaged in a heated wheel-to-wheel battle, but only one emerged victorious. While the 2x champ cruised to the top from ninth place, the Mexican finished behind his teammate despite being the pole sitter. 

The teammate rivalry on the Miami circuit could’ve turned into absolute chaos, and the past can vouch for it. In 2016, the rivalry between Mercedes teammates infamously caused tensions in the team as they fought for wins and titles, and it spilled on the track as well. They notably caused three on-track collisions – Belgium 2014, Spain 2016, and Austria 2016. The constant battles on and off the track threatened to disintegrate the team. But Red Bull doesn’t want it in their team. 

To avoid history from repeating itself, Red Bull gave the green signal to their drivers to fight on track, but only until it’s safe. Speaking about the same, Red Bull’s advisor Helmut Marko, while talking with ORF, said: “We said as soon as there was no danger from the hindsight we would let them race, and thank goodness they were both smart enough not to hit each other.” [Translated using Google]

“Checo was not willing to give up his position without a fight, and things got quite tight as they were both racing to the limit. Both drivers have been insanely careful with their tires and have not put too much stress on them. They drove as fast as they could, and that’s how we finished first and second. Thank God the race was not interrupted by the safety car.”

Read More: “Not Selling Him as A…”: Sergio Perez Given a Task to Prove His Worthiness in Red Bull Civil War Against Max Verstappen

Although it was a successful weekend for Red Bull as Verstappen led the team to a one-two finish for the fourth time, it wasn’t what Perez wanted. After losing to Verstappen, questions were raised about his claim for the championship. 

“I am fighting for the Championship”: Are Sergio Perez’s hopes for winning the championship against Max Verstappen realistic?

After Perez’s two Baku wins, he shrunk the gap to his Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen in championship standings to just 6 points. This raised his hopes of a Formula 1 title challenge. Even Perez was certain that he could push his team-mate in the fight, and clearly he thought he could win it too. But is that realistic?

The odds are certainly stacked against Perez. After losing to the 2x champ in the Miami GP, Perez acknowledged that Verstappen’s pace was simply too strong to contend with in Miami. Crash.net quoted the Mexican driver as saying post-race: “I think the performance that he showed today was unreachable for me, so I have to understand why”. Based on pure talent and pace, Perez is certainly some way off his teammate. Additionally, with the team playing favoritism to their Golden Boy Max Verstappen, Perez’s hopes for the championship are not very realistic. 

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Max Verstappen is now 14 points clear in the F1 drivers’ championship after five rounds.