While Max Verstappen finished the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix on the third step of the podium, his father Jos was not happy with Red Bull’s strategy of favouring its other driver Sergio Perez for victory. Red Bull boss Christian Horner was quick to respond to this criticism.

Red Bull did a great job at the Monaco Grand Prix. After having finished the qualifying session in second place, behind the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, the red bull managed a real master stroke in the Principality, by placing its two cars in first and third place. For once it was Sergio Perez who finished ahead of reigning F1 world champion Max Verstappen.

The Mexican owes his victory in part to his team, which favoured him in the pitstop decision at the expense of his Dutch team-mate. A choice that Jos Verstappen, Max’s father, did not understand, as he felt that his son had “not been helped”. I would have liked it to be different for the championship leader”, he declared, even suggesting that “ten points were wasted” on the Monaco track.

Criticism that did not fall on deaf ears, since the Austrian team, through its main team, did not take long to retort to the comments of the sultry Dutchman.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Red Bull director Christian Horner returned to the former driver’s statements and made it clear:

“At the end of the day, [the two drivers] are team players. They are part of a team. It’s not Sergio Pérez Racing or Max Verstappen Racing, it’s Red Bull Racing. They work for the team, they have a responsibility.

“They drive a car that is designed by about 800 employees here and produced for them. They are an important link in the chain, but it is vital that they are aware that the team’s ambition is greater than their own,” he said.

While it was clear last year that Red Bull was focusing all its efforts on Verstappen, that seems to have changed. Asked about his preference in the event of a world title battle between his two drivers, Horner replied:

“It doesn’t matter which one is world champion. Whether it’s Checo Perez or Max Verstappen, they are both Red Bull drivers.”

After seven races, Max Verstappen is currently leading the world championship with 125 points, 15 more than Sergio Perez. The next meeting of the Formula 1 season is in a week’s time, on the street track of Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which often offers a number of surprises.