- Red Bull is the most dominant team in F1 right now and it could be that way for years to come.
- However, a simmering friction between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez seems to be getting worse.
The only thing that can seemingly stop Red Bull these days is coming from its own garage — and it is starting to feel like that is exactly what will happen.
Max Verstappen is the two-time defending Formula One champion, and Red Bull Racing finally ended Mercedes' team dominance last year, taking home the constructor's trophy. This year, Verstappen is a heavy favorite to repeat and the only driver that might stand in the way is his own teammate, Sergio Perez.
This season, Red Bull has taken their dominance to another level. Through five races, Red Bull has won all five — three for Verstappen and two for Perez — and finished 1-2 four times.
While the debate over whether Verstappen could win every race this season is already out the window, the more plausible scenario — Red Bull wins every race — is still very much alive.
And yet, while things are seemingly better than ever at Red Bull, there is a simmering tension between their two drivers that won't go away and feels like it is getting nastier by the week. Now people are beginning to wonder if Perez's days at Red Bull are already numbered.
In 2022, it became clear that Perez served Verstappen
While most teams don't like to talk about having a "number 1" or a "number 2," the situation at Red Bull has made it ever so clear: Verstappen is the favored son, and Perez is the support driver.
In the 2021 season, Perez's first with Red Bull, he struggled to adjust to a new car but played his role perfectly, especially in the season's final race.
Early in the season finale, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Perez successfully slowed down championship frontrunner Lewis Hamilton, which allowed Verstappen to climb back into the race. The Dutch driver would go on to win and thus secure his first overall title.
After the season, team principal Christian Horner praised that moment with a back-handed compliment.
"I think that certainly last year, [Perez] was an incredible servant for the team, where he helped his teammate on numerous occasions," Horner said during a talk at the Cambridge Union. "Certainly in that last race, when he did a stunning job of backing Lewis [Hamilton] up. Without that, Max wouldn't have won the championship."
Horner also called the label "teammate" a "fallacy," and the dynamic creates more rivalry than friendship.
"They're definitely not mates because the guy in the other car is the only person that you are judged against," Horner said. "He's the only person with the same equipment. So he will either make or break your career."
Things took an ugly turn during the 2022 season
According to Horner, Perez took a big step up with the team and the car in 2022.
"Sergio is much more at home in the car," Horner said in 2022. "So he now believes in himself that he can be a world champion, and that adds then another dynamic."
However, that also meant that Perez was now a threat each round to Verstappen's spot at the top of the podium. This came to a head at the Spanish Grand Prix, where Red Bull finished 1-2 and took the lead in both the drivers' and team championships.
At one point, Perez asked his race crew, which handles overall team strategy from pit lane, to let him pass Verstappen, who was in third place and battling George Russell for second. Perez, in the faster car at the time, believed he could easily get past Russell, but Verstappen did not yield.
Later in the race, with Perez ahead of Verstappen, Red Bull race controllers ordered Checo to let his teammate through. At the time, he called the move "very unfair" on the team radio, and after the race, he was heard saying, "I am happy for the team, but we need to speak later."
This was just the start of a growing friction.
Verstappen refused to help Perez when he needed some
Then came the final two races of the 2022 season. When there was a chance for Verstappen to repay the favor he received from Perez in 2021, Max refused.
Verstappen had already secured the drivers' title entering the Brazilian and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and Red Bull already had their first constructors' championship since 2013. However, P2 in the drivers' standings was still up for grabs between Perez and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.
On the final lap in Brazil, Verstappen and Perez were well off the podium in P6 and P7, respectively. Switching spots would have helped Perez in his chase for second place overall. However, when the team asked Verstappen to let Perez through, he ignored them, and after the race, he had a stern message.
"I told you already last summer, guys, don't ask that again to me, okay?" Verstappen was heard saying on the team radio. "Are we clear about that? I gave my reasons, and I stand by it."
Checo was not happy, saying at the time, "It shows who he really is," and later adding: "After all I have done for him, it is a bit disappointing, to be honest. I am really surprised."
There were reports that Verstappen was still upset about qualifying at the Monaco Grand Prix, where Perez spun in the final moments as Verstappen pushed for a spot on the front row. Instead, qualifying ended early, and Verstappen was stuck in P4, right behind Perez and with both Ferraris on the front row.
Then, in Abu Dhabi, Perez could have still claimed second in the standings if he finished ahead of Leclerc. However, with Verstappen leading the race and Perez in third, trailing Leclerc, Max never slowed down to hold up the Ferrari the way Perez had done to Hamilton the previous year.
Verstappen said there were no team orders to help but also suggested he would not have agreed.
"You can possibly block, but is that fair racing?" Verstappen said after the race. "I think not the nicest way going out of the season, like that."
Perez is now a real threat to Max
The 2023 season is off to a great start for Perez, who seems more comfortable and determined than ever.
He would be the championship leader for the first time if not for Verstappen seemingly disobeying orders and pushing on the final lap at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and stealing the fastest-lap point from Perez.
That led to an awkward exchange between the drivers after the race when Checo asked Max about disobeying orders.
—Formula 1 (@F1) March 19, 2023
While Perez later downplayed that issue as a "miscommunication," it is clear that Max looks out for Max, and they are still not mates. There also appears to be lingering tensions between the two camps, something made evident by Jos Verstappen, Max's dad, who looked uncomfortable as Perez celebrated his win nearby.
Perez still feels he can win a championship
Despite all the internal drama, Perez still has his sights set on winning a championship with Red Bull.
"Yeah, certainly," Perez told Insider adamantly before the United States Grand Prix in 2022. "I believe I can fight for the championship next year ... It is what I want to do."
He repeated these thoughts after his latest win.
"I can say now that I really feel part of the team, I really feel like I have my place, I'm well-respected, and I think that's something good to have as a driver," Perez said. "I really believe that I have the full support of the team as much as Max does and that I will have every single opportunity to win the championship as much as Max does."
Daniel Ricciardo now adds another layer of pressure
And if the Verstappen-Perez tension alone wasn't enough, in steps Daniel Ricciardo.
After Ricciardo's exit from McLaren, he reunited with Red Bull as a reserve driver. At first, it seemed like Danny Ricc would be used more for marketing purposes, thanks to his popularity. And while that may still be true during his time on the sideline, he adds a layer of complication.
In Ricciardo, Red Bull has a talented driver who may be willing to play the role of support driver just for a shot to race again for a competitive team.
And the rumors are already flying that Perez may be replaced by Ricciardo. When the Australian was asked about replacing Perez, he gave a diplomatic answer.
"I think really for me my mindset is to really try and help the team ... That's really where my heads at," Ricciardo told Sky Sports. "I think as well because I personally I do really want the time off, I'm not waiting like, 'Give me that chance.' I'm very happy to be where I'm at right now."
Interestingly, Horner said that Ricciardo's presence has actually helped deflate some of the tension between Verstappen and Perez.
"I think having his energy around the two drivers, it makes them feel more at ease," Horner said on Red Bull's "Talking Bull" podcast. "It's less awkward between the two of them, particularly when the two of them are competing against each other and they both genuinely like him because he's just that kind of guy. You can't dislike Daniel Ricciardo."
Meanwhile, Perez said driving for Red Bull is more pressure than having Ricciardo waiting in the wings.
"When you are at the Red Bull Racing, you had better perform at your best," Perez said before the season. "It doesn't matter if Daniel is here or not, Red Bull can pick pretty much any driver they want from the grid."
At the very least, Ricciardo is a solid backup plan if things ever get irreconcilable between Perez and the team.
And as long as Perez continues to challenge Verstappen, that could be sooner rather than later.