Does Verstappen now have an opponent in his own team? In Abu Dhabi 2021, Sergio Perez (32) made a decisive contribution to the Dutchman’s title win with his blockade of Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton, but now his own ambitions are getting bigger…
After his victory in Monaco, the Mexican is only 15 points behind team-mate Verstappen in the World Championship. Even more: He got a new contract that binds him to Red Bull until the end of 2024.
Sky Q
With Sky the F1 live on offer for 17.25 euros per month!
All Formula 1 races, qualifying sessions and practice sessions live. Latest news and insights. Individual racing experience with the cockpit camera.
According to Auto-Bild information, however, the contract was fixed in the streets of the Monegasque before the triumph. Perez signed his new contract in team boss Christian Horner’s office on Friday. The new conditions were agreed after the Spanish GP, in which Perez felt cheated of victory.
Background: Using a different strategy, he had to let teammate Verstappen through, but later did not benefit from a corresponding radio message in the other direction. “It’s unfair, but okay,” he publicly annoyed.
Sergio Perez’s new contract with Red Bull was announced after his victory in Monaco.
A reaction that also shows: Perez does not accept the status of number two pilot. He wants to be world champion himself. The GP in Monaco proves that he can do that: Thanks to his better placement on the track, Perez also got the better strategy. An early pit stop secured him victory.
This is already bringing the Verstappen clan to a boil. “Red Bull achieved a good result, but at the same time did little to help Max move forward,” writes Jos Verstappen in his column on Verstappen’s own website.
“He owes the fact that he finished third to Ferrari’s mistake at Charles Leclerc’s second stop. The table leader, Max, was not helped in this respect by the chosen strategy… I think Max threw away ten points here. Especially with the two failures we had, we need every point.”
sky ticket
Secure the new Formula 1 season with Sky Ticket SuperSport from 19.99 euros
All races live and without commercial breaks. All sessions live: practice, qualifying & races. Also: F2, F3 and the Porsche Supercup.
Meanwhile, Red Bull is doing little to calm things down. Motorsport consultant Helmut Marko praises Sport1 instead of Perez. “He is only 15 points behind and is therefore fully in the World Cup business.”
The fact is: The Mexican is closer to the reigning champion in 2022 than in the previous year. But Verstappen senior is also looking for the reason at Red Bull: “The car simply doesn’t have the characteristics for his driving style yet,” he explains. “Max has far too little grip on the front axle you have a car that turns very quickly.”
Statements that show: The mood is tense in the world champion camp, also because of your own strengthened teammate.
Sky expert Ralf Schumacher is looking for the solution with the driver, not with the team. “In Monaco, Perez was better all weekend,” he writes in his column. “Max should take this as an opportunity to learn a few things from his teammate. The new concept of the vehicles suits Sergio more. As a driver who is very good at protecting tyres, he can get more out of the car.”
Schumacher’s conclusion: “Therefore, Max should try to adapt Sergio’s driving style in certain sections of the route and drive a little more slowly into one or the other corner.”
Alone: Anyone who knows Verstappen knows that there is no such thing as imitation for the Dutchman. Rather, the team should rebuild the Red Bull for its extremely aggressive driving style. So, despite the good results, there will be more to talk about in the future.
Formula 1 on TV
In 2022, Formula 1 will run on Sky. Last year, the broadcaster introduced a new TV channel especially for the premier class: Sky Formula 1. Here there is motorsport 24 hours a day. All practice sessions, all qualifying sessions, all races are always live and without commercial breaks. In addition, Sky also broadcasts the support races Formula 2, Formula 3 and the Porsche Supercup. Historical races and special programs are also on the programme.
