F1 media accused of staging tension between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez

Michelle Foster 21 Apr 2023 1:00 PM

Max Verstappen looking glum in the post-race press conference with Sergio Perez. Saudi Arabia March 2023

Max Verstappen won't do Sergio Perez favours in his race for P2.

While claiming the rivalry between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez has been grossly exaggerated by the media, Dutch driver Michael Bleekemolen concedes Perez’s own words haven’t helped.

Separated by 15 points after three races, Perez has told the world he’s up for the challenge of taking on his Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen for the World title.

That, coupled with issues at last season’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix and yet more this year in Saudi Arabia where the Mexican driver questioned Red Bull’s intra-team communication, has the media speaking about growing tension between the team-mates.

Both drivers have insisted several times that all is well, as too has their team boss Christian Horner, and yet the niggles over fastest laps, team communication and deleted tweets saying “I want to be a champion” have kept the media interested.

But it’s tension that Bleekemolen feels has been grossly exaggerated.

“There is always a battle between two drivers in every team,” he told GPFans NL. “Not only in Formula 1, but everywhere. It is one thing that you have to be faster.

“I also think that the media is a bit guilty of it. Everything is just thrown together with exciting statements. Phrases are cut out to stick it together differently. Then they suddenly turn into hateful comments towards each other.

“I think it’s not that bad. Still, I think they both want to finish for each other.”

But Sergio Perez’s own words aren’t helping

He does, however, concede Perez sometimes puts his foot in it with “strange” comments in which he crows about his own ability being on a par with Verstappen’s.

“Perez sometimes says strange things, yes,” Bleekemolen added. “He also says that he is just as fast as Max and is not inferior. Of course that is not the case. The statistics prove that.

“Those are of course strange statements.

“Of course he shouts that he is king on the street circuits. If we look very realistically: he of course won Monaco and now Saudi Arabia. But that is all due to the circumstances. Not because he was faster than Max.

“Apparently he never looks that realistic.”

Perez’s own words hint at tension as he calls for ‘respect’

Having uttered the words that “shows who he really is” when Verstappen refused to help him at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix last season, Perez arrived on this year’s grid talking about respect being a two-way street.

And if he didn’t get help and respect, he wouldn’t be giving it.

“It’s always important to work as a team and obviously if I see that I don’t receive support when I need it, I won’t give it either,” the 33-year-old told Fox Sports Mexico.

He added that “if he [Verstappen] has two championships, it is thanks to me” before going onto say they need to respect one another and “work as a team” this season.

A month later the Mexican driver was again going on about respect, this time in the wake of Red Bull’s team communication at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

“I think it will be very important that we both respect whatever has been told by the team,” he said after Verstappen went for the fastest lap point on the final lap of the grand prix, ignoring Red Bull’s set delta time.

One has to ask, why would there be a need to call for respect and co-operation if it was already there?