‘There was absolutely zero issue’ – Red Bull respond to Sergio Perez-Max Verstappen incident in Barcelona
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Updated 04/06/2022 at 09:21 GMT
Sergio Perez responded to the disappointment in Barcelona by winning the Monaco Grand Prix by out-qualifying Verstappen and beating Carlos Sainz to victory in the principality. His win in Monte Carlo leaves him 15 points behind leader Verstappen in third in the Drivers’ Championship. The Red Bull duo now turn their attention to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which takes place on June 12.
Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen were both on the podium in Monaco.
Image credit: Getty Images
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner insists ‘there was absolutely zero issue’ after Sergio Perez was asked to move aside for teammate Max Verstappen to win the Spanish Grand Prix.
Perez looked nailed on to win in Barcelona on May 22 before Verstappen moved past the Mexican to claim his fourth victory of the year.
The Mexican was clearly aggrieved by the decision and described it as “very unfair”, but has now signed a new contract at Red Bull until the end of 2024.
After signing the new deal, he said: “For me, this has been an incredible week, winning the Monaco Grand Prix is a dream for any driver and then to follow that with announcing I will continue with the team until 2024 just makes me extremely happy.
“I am so proud to be a member of this team and I feel completely at home here now. We are working very well together and my relationship with Max, on and off the track, is definitely helping drive us forward even more.
“We have built tremendous momentum as a team and this season is showing that, I am excited to see where that can take us all in the future.”
Perez’s recent form has delighted Horner, who addressed the Barcelona incident directly. He said: “Checo is in the form of his career, he is doing a great job, and it is not a one-off,” in quotes published by formula1news.co.uk.
“We saw his pole position in Jeddah and he is really hitting a rich vein of form. That is fantastic for us.
“But we need both drivers working the way they are together because Ferrari had the quicker car [in Monaco], certainly in qualifying. Whether it was in the race is unknown.
“They are a massive opponent and we have to work collectively to make sure we get both drivers ahead of them.
“We discussed things immediately following the race in Barcelona and there was absolutely zero issue.
“He understood clearly what the picture was and I think he is in a great space at the moment.
“His confidence is high, he is driving very well and the time difference between him and Max is much, much closer.”
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Sergio Perez
Image credit: Getty Images
Perez responded to the disappointment in Barcelona by winning the Monaco Grand Prix by out-qualifying Verstappen and beating Carlos Sainz to victory in the principality.
His win in Monte Carlo leaves him 15 points behind leader Verstappen in third in the Drivers’ Championship.
The Red Bull duo now turn their attention to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and the race takes place in Baku on June 12.
Perez has fond memories of the circuit after winning last year’s race, with the podium completed by Sebastian Vettel and Pierre Gasly.
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