The ghosts of the Brazilian past still haunt the reigning champions, Red Bull. Formula 1 is a peculiar sport when it comes to teammate dynamics. Being in the same team, the two drivers fight each other the hardest because the benchmark is always the driver running in the same machine. However, there are times when your teammate also becomes your biggest cheerleader and aid, like what happened with Max Verstappen in 2021. However, the favor that wasn’t returned to his teammate Sergio Perez still haunts the corridors of Milton Keynes.

The world saw a selfish act on part of the already crowned champion Verstappen when he refused to give up his non-podium position in favor of the same teammate who has aided him massively in the past, even earning the title of Mexican Minister of defense against the mighty Lewis Hamilton. However, several instances during the Bahrain season opener almost aired the dirty laundry of the teammate ‘love’ at Red Bull.

In front of the cameras on Fox Sports, Sergio Perez didn’t mince his words and made his intentions clear, stating, “It’s always important to work as a team, but if I see that I’m not getting support when I need it, I won’t give it,” 

However, during the race Verstappen once again the request of his race engineer asking him to slow down for his teammate, saying, “I don’t mind driving slower, but only if we do it together,”

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While the dynamic seems rocky, it is no secret that Perez is still to match up to Verstappen’s dominance. The duo ended with a 149-point margin in last year’s championship tally being in the fastest car on the grid.

In light of Max Verstappen’s dominance, Sergio Perez advised him to “be best number two in the world”

Red Bull won 17 races out of 22 last year, only two of which went to Perez and the rest were won by his teammate and reigning world champion, Verstappen. 15:2 is not an ideal ratio for the driver who wants to stand on an equal pedestal and a keen observer with an F1 pedigree has made a harsh declaration about this.

As quoted by F1 Maximaal, the son of F1 legend Niki Lauda Mathias is of this opinion that, “The way Verstappen did it in 2022, we have hardly ever seen it. It was almost boring. A boring season is also expected for this year. “Red Bull built a really strong car over the winter and I’ve rarely seen Max so strong.”

“I think Max and Pérez get along very well. If I were Pérez I would try to be the best number two in the world. I would try to win a few races. He has to accept that Max is the better one. It’s like Rubens Barrichello and Michael Schumacher, he just has to admit it.”

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What are your thoughts about the said disparity and hierarchy at Red Bull?