F1 Rumour: Sergio Perez To Initiate Red Bull Split As Tensions Rise Within The Team
Rumours have begun to circulate after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix that Sergio Perez may be the one to initiate a move away from Red Bull as tensions continue to rise within the team.
The Mexican driver started in pole position and went on to win the race. His teammate Max Verstappen, who is the number one driver for the team, made his way through the field from fifteenth to finish in second, but there was still something taken away from Perez which he is not happy about.
With one lap to go, it was clear Perez was going to cross the line first and he held the fastest lap at that moment. However, Verstappen pushed on the last lap and took that point away from his teammate. During an excrusiatingly tense moment in the cooldown room, viewers heard Perez say to Verstappen:
“You got the fastest lap in the end?!”
To which Verstappen replied, bluntly:
“On the last lap, yeah,”
The race winner made it clear in his post-race interviews that he was told by Red Bull to not push on the last lap, clearly giving Verstappen other orders and so the opportunity to take the fastest lap point away. He explained to the press:
“It’s something we need to review, because I got different information.
“I [wasn’t allowed] to push there in the end".
You don't have to cast your minds back long to remember the last public rift between the pair at the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix where Verstappen refused team orders to let Perez through. It ended up going even more sour when family members began to get involved.
Perez's contract with Red Bull expires at the end of this season and although there has been a lot of talk of the Austrian team looking elsewhere for a second driver, with many suggesting their reserve driver Daniel Ricciardo, questions are now being raised over whether a split might be initiated by Perez.