Sergio Perez fired a warning to his Red Bull team, ahead of the Formula 1 season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, indicating that if they don’t help him when he needs it then he won’t be offering his help either.
Much was made, last year, when Max Verstappen refused to help Perez during the Brazilian Grand Prix, to help his Mexican teammate in his Championship battle with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Clearly, there was mismanagement by Red Bull bosses Christian Horner and Helmut Marko with regard to ‘rules of engagement’ during battle between the pair, and perhaps left the only smudge on an otherwise perfect 2022 season for them.
From recent Bahrain testing we know the RB19 is a handy car, the Bulls are bullish as is Perez but at the same time wary of what rivals might have in store: “It’s always important to work as a team and obviously if I see that I don’t receive support when I need it, I won’t give it either, that’s obvious, but I don’t expect any of that.
“I think we are very clear about the important thing, it will be a very intense season, surely with six cars fighting for the championship, so it will be very important to work as a team in many races,” he insisted during in an interview with FOX Sports Mexico in Bahrain.
Perez not stressed by Ricciardo’s return as Red Bull reserve
With the team’s prodigal son Daniel Ricciardo lurking in the wings as the team reserve, Perez has no illusions about the pressure he faces at what is currently the best team in F1: “I’m in Red Bull, it’s the best team in F1 and Red Bull can have the driver they want, so it doesn’t change anything.
“It is a very important benefit to have Ricciardo supporting us in the simulator, in the races that he will be here,” added the 33-year-old
It is now Perez’s third year as Verstappen’s teammate, and until now the older driver has not been a match for the younger Dutchman, but it can be said that the gap has closed and could be closer than ever this season.
The Mexican looked ahead: “Without a doubt this year will determine many things, how good I am, how much I want to continue in the sport, without a doubt it is a crucial year in my career.
“If you don’t have 100 percent desire to get up, train every day, take care of what you eat all year, everything you have to give to the sport. If I don’t have that 100 percent energy, I don’t see myself being here at 90,” added Perez, a veteran of 235 Grand Prix starts, and winner of four of those.