“Something Happened”: Max Verstappen Simply Refuses to Apologize to Sergio Perez, Offers Sage Advice Instead

F1 drivers can take grudges a long way. Max Verstappen seems like one of those old-school drivers who might have this trait. His Brazil GP team orders spat with Sergio Perez has made a lot of headlines in the past few weeks. Although Red Bull has stated that the issue between its drivers is resolved, Verstappen has refused to apologize to Perez.

Talking to Sky, Max Verstappen spoke about how he did not clear the untouched issue with his teammate earlier.

Verstappen said, “It’s not about saying sorry. It’s more about what happened this year. Something happened. We didn’t communicate well enough to each other and to the team. I gave my stance in Mexico about it.”

“We should have cleared it [the issue] way sooner, then we wouldn’t have had that issue in Brazil. Like a relationship, communication is key. You always say communication is key in a relationship, and this is like a relationship.”

The double world champion denied his teammate Sergio Perez to re-pass him for P6 in the Sao Paulo GP. The Mexican was in a tight battle for 2nd place in the championship with Charles Leclerc. Max mentioned post-race that he gave his reasons to not let Checo through.

Verstappen may be referring to a prior team strategy mess-up or any action by Perez that may have not gone well with him. Either way, there have been speculations that Max was probably mad about Checo crashing in Monaco GP qualifying this season.

Read More: Max Verstappen Extends Questionable Olive Branch to Sergio Perez After Brazilian GP Train-Wreck

Eventually, with Red Bull‘s statement that the matter is resolved, Perez and Verstappen shall be back on the same page for 2023. Although such strong statements by Verstappen about not apologizing may not be the best for his team dynamic with Perez.

Is Sergio Perez the Ideal Teammate for Max Verstappen?

Over the two seasons at Milton Keynes, Sergio Perez has been the wingman for Max Verstappen. Though the Mexican hasn’t matched Max on raw pace, he has supported Verstappen’s campaign like a true teammate.

Red Bull has deployed team orders to Checo numerous times, especially in the 2021 season. In Verstappen’s close battle with Lewis Hamilton, Perez eased his teammate’s task to catch the Briton.

The 2021 French GP is a classic example when Perez moved over for Max and ensure Red Bull got a double podium to beat Mercedes. Besides, his epic defensive battles with Hamilton in Turkey and Abu Dhabi were so effective to pull back Hamilton in the title race.

The Austrian team utilized Checo in the best possible way in 2021 to give Max some edge over Hamilton. There is little that Perez faltered in while assisting Verstappen with his title challenge.

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Nonetheless, Red Bull will hope to replicate the 2021 team dynamic between Max and Checo next year. What do you think? Will things come back to normal between Perez and Verstappen after Brazil 2022?