It is a known fact that if it were up to Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez would not have been his teammate at Red Bull. The Dutchman had reportedly been pushing for Nico Hulkenberg to partner him at the team.
However, team advisor Helmut Marko believes the duo has been on good terms since Perez has arrived at Red Bull.
“So far there have hardly been any intersections. So everything is perfect,” Marko said.
However, Marko knows how things could get as the season wears on. It is no secret that Red Bull has envisioned Verstappen to be the team’s primary driver. The young Dutchman has had to contend with such expectations since a while now.
Marko believes that the young Dutchman will do all that he can to assert his authority on Perez.
“We’ll soon see what the races look like. There will be no presents from either of them. Max wants to assert himself and show Sergio that he was wrongly underestimated,” he said.
It is not as though Perez will simply fold. With a decade worth of experience in the sport, one may argue that Perez is finally coming into his own now.
This rivalry will surely be one of the most interesting stories set to unfold over the course of the coming season.
“Sergio has integrated very well. He was already able to provide us with valuable information, especially with regard to the Mercedes engine,” Marko said.
“You can tell straight away that he’s been in Formula 1 for ten years, has a lot of routine.”
In the recent past, Perez’s predecessors have failed to provide Verstappen with the required competition to spur him on further. part of this can be attributed to Red Bull’s car, which has lacked stability over the last couple of years.
Perez will hope these problems are now behind them as the Mexican looks to establish his authority at his new team.