Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez might be teammates but, on-track, the pair are battling fiercely for the Drivers’ Championship, as it appears nothing can stop the charging Red Bull from racking up victory.
Red Bull have won every race of the season so far, with Verstappen taking P1 in Bahrain and Australia, while Perez won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The closely fought title fight is not expected to help mend the rift that is believed to exist between the pair, as both are determined to win the 2023 crown.
However, while some claim Red Bull is backing Verstappen behind the scenes in his quest for a third consecutive title, Perez’s father Antonio Perez Garibay claims that there is “no favouritism” at the team.
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“That’s a lie, let’s be clear,” he said, when asked by Marca if the team favours Verstappen.
“Red Bull is a brand that spends many billions of dollars more than Checo and Max.
“It is a professional team that wants to win with its two drivers, they want to have lap one from practice one and they want their two drivers to be 1 and 2.
“There is no favouritism for anyone, it is all speculation.
“Red Bull has the two of the best tigers in the same cage, if they were not at the same level then what is happening would not exist.
“Checo is doing his job excellently and will be in F1 for the next 10 years,” he added.
Perez is tied into a contract with Red Bull until the end of the 2024 season, with speculation the team might replace him with Australian Daniel Ricciardo or look to bring in a younger driver.
AlphaTauri team principal Franz Tost has suggested that, if not Ricciardo, Yuki Tsunoda could be a candidate for the Red Bull seat, with the experienced boss believing he’ll be ready by 2025.
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“All I can say is that Yuki is on the right track,” Tost said.
“He has improved in every respect.
“But I think he should drive at AlphaTauri again in 2024. In 2025, I think he will finally be ready for Red Bull.”