Red Bull appears to be the most dominant team on the F1 grid yet again. The Austrian outfit has developed a vehicle that is significantly outpacing its rival. Max Verstappen, who has proven his mettle throughout the years, is currently competing against the King of the Streets, Sergio Perez, who displayed his abilities at the Jeddah track. It is indeed safe to state that the title race will only involve the squad’s two drivers if there are no massive mistakes made by the team. It appears that the tables have turned for Max Verstappen because of Checo’s blistering performance in Saudi Arabia.

By the conclusion of this year, Sergio Perez will surpass Daniel Ricciardo as Verstappen’s longest-serving F1 teammate. Over the years, Perez has witnessed the Dutchman grow and how the squad has circled the 25-year-old. However, since last year, when the team created the RB18, there has been some friction between the team’s two drivers since the Mexican driver has frequently presented the Dutchman with intense competition.

Speaking of this year, we once again witnessed a competitive struggle between the two pilots for the honor of the fastest lap at the Jeddah track. Checo, though, believes that the team that has been developed over the years around Verstappen has brought about a transformation. Perez made a resounding revelation about the squad during a chat with motorsports.com before the Australian Grand Prix.

He said, “When I came to the team, everything was very different. Of course, they were driving two cars, but they did it because they had to. Now I can say that I really feel like part of the team. I feel like I have a place here and I’m respected. I think as a driver you have to have that.”

Adding further he said, “I really believe that I have as much support from the team as Max and that I will have every opportunity to win the championship just like Max.”

READ MORE: “Max Verstappen Is the Shark”: Memes Galore as Lewis Hamilton Shares Terrifying Encounter While Surfing Down Under

Following the Saudi GP, the Red Bull camp once more engages in a contentious discussion. However, after a protracted period of confusion and rumors over the fastest lap incident, Perez has officially addressed the reports of swirling friction inside the squad.

Sergio Perez responds to the fastest lap battle controversy

Perez won the Saudi Grand Prix after qualifying on the pole in the Jeddah race, which garnered the most attention. The team’s top driver, Max Verstappen, had to start from P15 in Q2 due to a driver’s shaft issue. Nevertheless, he recovered quickly and placed second in the run. Verstappen, however, refused to obey the team order in the final lap and advanced to set the fastest lap, which made the race quite interesting.

Similar to the Brazilian Grand Prix last year, where the Dutchman disobeyed the team’s order to switch positions with Perez, which sparked debate. Since then, there have been rumors of conflict within the Red Bull team. Perez, however, dispelled all rumors and explained the entire scenario.

MSN quoted him as saying, ” Things are great. At the time I thought I was not given the right information, but now looking back at it, it was all very well played by the team. I think it was a bit of a miscommunication between my engineer and myself. I don’t think there was anything more to it, I think the team did a good job to let us race, and I think that was good. I had a word with Christian [Horner] after the race, and it was all clear.”

WATCH THIS STORY: Is Formula E faster than Formula 1?

Perez currently exudes a lot of confidence following the Saudi GP. In light of that, do you believe he will engage in a battle with Verstappen at the Australian GP?