Regardless of how strong the evidence of Perez’s accident being deliberate is, the crucial point is that Verstappen believes that it was. So from his perspective, Monaco this year was the first time in their 29 races together where Perez had been close enough to properly compete with him (accepting that the Jeddah safety car had denied him that opportunity earlier in the season) – and at the very first opportunity, he pulls a foul. That’s how Verstappen sees it.
No-one seriously doubts that this team is built around the talent of Verstappen. But it is his natural speed which has made that so. Given the mutual success he and the team have enjoyed, he assumes the team leadership role. A team-mate such as Perez who was occasionally able to get close but who in general is not in the same league, should not, Verstappen believes, think it’s ok to do anything other than continue to be a support driver. Even if there are occasional weekends when he has comparable performance, he should know his place. Certainly, any competing which veers into the realms of a deliberate foul against the team number one is beyond the pale. That’s Verstappen’s view on it and he carries a lot of weight in the team.
Victorious Monte Carlo weekend stored up controversy for Perez
Grand Prix Photo
It’s a tricky line for the team to tread. They are his employer notionally, but in reality they are his partner. The days of Verstappen having to compete with an equal number one and of being made to apologise to the team at the factory when they clashed – as with Daniel Ricciardo, Baku 2018 – are long gone. His status as a double world champion has altered the balance of power without it ever being said. Now it’s being said.
