Going into the final two rounds of the 2022 season, Red Bull had the chance to round of a perfect season, adding the team’s first ever one-two finish in the drivers’ championship to their already dominant year.
Sergio Perez found himself in a close battle with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc going into the latter end of the season for the runner-up spot in the championship, meaning every point was priceless in the final few races.
Red Bull struggled at the Brazilian Grand Prix and with both of their drivers out of the point scoring places and with little left to fight for, the team asked Max Verstappen to allow his teammate to pass him in order to gain a couple of extra points.
Despite not having anything at all to fight for, Verstappen explosively refused, claiming that the team know his reasons and suggesting that they should never ask him to do such a thing.
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Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has since revealed that both drivers have sat down to discuss the incident and have quickly put their differences behind them, restoring the formidable partnership that has been seen over the past two years.
Former F1 driver Hans-Joachim Stuck has now given the details of a phone call that he had with former F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone in the aftermath of the incident, claiming that the 92-year-old was outraged by Verstappen’s actions.
“He was very clear there. If one of his drivers hadn’t followed such an instruction, Bernie would have thrown him out,” claimed Stuck.
The German believes that Verstappen showed a lack of respect in his response to his team’s request, breaking a golden rule of F1 drivers in the process.
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“From my point of view, it had to do with a lack of discipline. The first commandment in Formula 1 is to follow the team’s instructions unconditionally, because the drivers have signed a contract,” said Stuck.
Verstappen was quick to downplay the incident after the race, claiming that he has his reasons for not helping out his teammate in this particular race, but would be on hand to help in Abu Dhabi should Perez need him.
As it turned out, Perez was beaten by Leclerc in Abu Dhabi, meaning the Monegasque driver snatched second place away from the Mexican driver, meaning despite their poor season, Ferrari have the consolation of splitting the Red Bull drivers in the championship.