Following the race in Barcelona, Sergio Perez was upset because he felt he could have won the race other than the team asking him to allow his team mate Verstappen through to challenge George Russell. Then later in the race when Perez was quicker than Max the team didn’t return the favour.
Finally after switching Verstappen to a three stop, Perez now leading the race following LeClerc’s demise was told not to fight his team mate who was closing in fast as he was on a different tyre strategy.
When given what was effectively the instruction to let Max through for P1, the Mexican driver commented, “that’s really unfair.” Later adding “we need to speak”.
Sky’s expert pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz believes if Sergio Perez doesn’t understand he is the team number two driver he is ‘deluded’ as he remarked, “Perez was not happy in the end about being essentially treated as a number 2 driver but you know it’s the real world isn’t it checo?
“Let’s face it. If you don’t realise that that’s your position in this team, then you’re the last person on God’s green earth who doesn’t realise this is your position – within the Red Bull team.
Kravitz twists the knife further, “While it might say something Checo in your contract then I think everyone else know and it was clearly demonstrated today that there is only 1 number 1 in the Red Bull garage – and it’s not the one with one one (11) on his car, it’s the one with one (1) on his car. Is that clear?”
Sergio is proving to be a better number two to Max than other efforts from Pierre Gasley and Alex Albon and the Red Bull team need him scoring big points to help them with their assault on the constructers’ title won last year by Mercedes.
Never heard Kravitz speak this way about Bottas. I never heard David Croft and Martin Brundle criticize team orders at Merc either. Oh, British hipocrisy. How sweet.
What is the point of having two drivers in a team if only 1 of them is allowed to race??? When F1 was born it was every man for himself and many drivers gave their life risking it all to win for themselves and manufacturer.
What would they think of this nannying of drivers to help them win.
Lewis and Nico raced hard as did Lewis and Bottas for that matter. I can accept it if the leading driver of the championship needs a little nudge over the line late into the championship but just 5 races in, really?!!!! Are we at the point that only 1 team member is selected to fight for the championship.
The blue flag waving annoys me also, its all about you and the car and how well you race is your concern, if your lapping cars why should they get out of the way? its redicilous, they are in their own race. It makes the race a better spectacle if 2 front runners have to clear the tailenders, is it not about entertaining fans who overpay for tickets as well?
You don’t see this in MotoGp! It’s all too fuffy for me, where’s the grit in the sport gone?
And if you crash your car at 200mph, you can’t blame injury or death on a bloody nose ring can you???
Team orders yes.And very wise. I realise that in this case it was not about first and second driver. It was because Max was faster on better tyres. Then it doesn’t make sense to fight for position with a possible crash and loosing all.