Since joining Red Bull in 2021, Sergio Perez has been the ultimate wingman for Max Verstappen, playing a major part in his title winning race at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
With the Mexican now entering his third season with Red Bull, Perez has claimed that he finally feels ready to mount a title charge of his own.
The relationship between Verstappen and Perez has generally been a very strong one but it did all boil over last year in Brazil, where Verstappen refused to help his teammate in his battle for P2 in the drivers’ championship by letting Perez through.
This refusal to follow team orders outraged Perez, who has sacrificed so many of his own races to help Verstappen whenever he could but according to Red Bull team principal, the relationship between the two drivers is now completely repaired.
READ: Fernando Alonso is a ‘real threat’ to Max Verstappen
While both Mercedes and Ferrari have declared that they do not have a number one driver this season, former F1 driver Gerhard Berger claims that Max Verstappen will clearly be the favourite this year at Red Bull.
“There are no tensions,” said the Austrian. “That’s a clear story for Verstappen – and Perez knows that too.”
Red Bull are the clear favourites to win the championship once again this season, meaning that a title battle in the Red Bull camp is a real possibility this year.
Berger has told Red Bull to proceed with cation however, as he does not expect their title charge to be as straightforward as it currently seems.
“You have to look at it with caution,” he told Krone newspaper. “They’re one step ahead, they’ve done a good job, and the car is stable too. That’s why Red Bull is my favourite.
READ: Stefano Domenicali reveals why F1 didn’t replace the 2023 Chinese Grand Prix
“But, it is also dangerous, when everything looks so clear, there is usually competition somewhere.”
Red Bull’s chief advisor Helmut Marko has advised Sergio Perez against trying to battle Verstappen this season, claiming that the Dutchman is simply unbeatable by anyone other than Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.
Perez will not be deterred by these claims however and will be doing everything he can to begin the season with a win at the Bahrain Grand Prix.