Max Verstappen throws a hint at Checo Pérez
Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen has pointed out that second drivers must accept their role as Valtteri Bottas once did at Mercedes.
The relationship between Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez ended badly after the Brazilian Grand Prix, where the Dutch driver refused to let the Mexican pass even after he was asked to do so by his Red Bull team.
Despite the fact that both racers said they had put the incident behind them, harmony was undoubtedly affected after Verstappen refused to cede his position to Checo who was fighting to be world runner-up, and eventually ended in third place.
Almost a month after that episode, the two-time world champion shot a hint at Pérez by saying that second pilots must accept their role and not “live in a fairy tale”.
“You start each year with a fresh mindset, but after a couple of races you realize that again you’re not making it (being able to compete with your teammate) and then you accept your role. You keep driving, you end up on the podium, sometimes you win a race, maybe you start on pole. But you just have to accept that the guy next door is better than you,” Max Verstappen told F1 Talks.
Verstappen cites Bottas as example
Max even alluded to what Valtteri Bottas experienced during his stay at Mercedes where he had to obey the orders of the Silver Arrows team against Lewis Hamilton who was repeatedly crowned champion.
“That’s how Bottas accepted it. Some people can’t accept it, then everything starts to go wrong. You can’t live in a fairy tale,” he said.
READ ALSO: Schumacher signs for Mercedes
For now, Pérez and Verstappen will continue together at Red Bull, as the man from Guadalajara has a contract with the team until 2024. The duo has given great results on the track, as this year, the Austrian team was crowned champion in the constructors’ world championship, thus ending the eight-year hegemony of Mercedes.