Max Verstappen Can't Be Happy With Sergio Perez After A Weekend To Forget

Sergio Perez has shown that when it comes to street circuits, he's the man to beat. With two victories in Baku, Perez has cemented his reputation as the F1 grid's street circuit specialist, but with his teammate Max Verstappen having a weekend to forget, pundits are now wondering if their relationship could be strained.

Fans questioned Red Bull chief Christian Horner's comments after the race, as he explained Perez's victory was partly down to "luck". I'm not so sure. While the Mexican driver did manage to take the lead due to an error on Red Bull's part ahead of the safety car, Perez was able to fight off his Dutch teammate for the majority of the race, putting a good gap in between the two RB19s.

Now, Verstappen will take to his jet with only a 6-point gap between himself and his teammate, putting a bit of pressure on his championship focus.

“The real issue is that Max was beaten by his teammate and championship rival Sergio Perez,” Damon Hill told Sky Sports F1. “More than anything, that’s going to be the thing Max is not happy about.”

The reigning world champion was quick to complain about the sprint format this weekend, and took his frustrations out on Mercedes' George Russell after he put a hole in his sidepod.

"D***head!" Verstappen called George after Saturday's sprint race as their cars returned to parc ferme.

The partnership between the Red Bull drivers has certainly hit rough seas, especially during the second half of the 2022 F1 season, so with Perez showing more confidence behind the wheel, I'm sure this is something Verstappen will be keeping in mind as he readies himself for next weekend at Miami.

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