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Helmut Marko claimed that while Sergio Perez joined the team at a time where he brought momentum from his first win, Max Verstappen's position as his teammate was a cause of insecurity for the Mexican at the beginning of the 2021 season. The Red Bull team advisor admitted that Perez quickly got over it and has now successfully carved his rightful place in the team with comfort.
In an interview with Red Bull's lifestyle magazine Red Bulletin, the Austrian said:
“He came here with a win under his belt and his arrival was positive, but he met Max and that made him feel insecure, especially in qualifying. But he recovered. Now he chooses his hotels, he has his own advisers within the team and although I don’t know exactly what they do or what they do, they’re good people.”
Max Verstappen has undoubtedly had the upper hand over every teammate he has had in F1 so far. His relationship with Sergio Perez and their overall performance as a team, especially so far in 2022, however, has been quite impressive.
Charles Leclerc admits "there’s a lot of respect" in his battle with Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton's rivalry in the 2021 season will go down in F1 history as one of the most intense battles that the sport has seen, filled with moments of pure aggression. With Hamilton out of the way this year, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc has emerged as a contender for the title against the Red Bull driver. Leclerc, however, says that there is plenty of respect between the two championship leaders.
The Monegasque said:
“I mean, honestly, on the battle of Max and Lewis, I’ve got nothing to say. I wasn’t in that battle and, unfortunately for me, I was fighting for less interesting positions last year! But the fight with Max [and myself this season], obviously I love it.”
“We’ve known each other since a very long time [and] it’s always racing on the limits. You can argue that this year is a bit less aggressive than normal with the fights between us, but we’ve grown also throughout the years. We know each other’s weaknesses, we know each other very well, and that’s what makes it exciting – but there’s a lot of respect.”
Heading into the 2022 F1 French GP, Leclerc and Verstappen are currently separated by 38 points in the drivers' standings.
