Max Verstappen On Helping Perez Claim Second Place: 'It's Not Up To Me'

The Red Bull Racing F1 Team has already wrapped up this season's Constructors' Championship title as well as a third consecutive Drivers' Championship crown for Max Verstappen. However, they are still aiming to secure second place for Sergio Perez, which the Dutchman says rests solely on the Mexican.

As it stands, Verstappen has run away with the championship with 491 points. Perez is in second place with 240 points, making him a whopping 251 points behind his teammate. While Red Bull has dominated the entire campaign, the Mexican is far from being comfortable in second place, with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) only 20 points behind.

Furthermore, Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz and Aston Martin star Fernando Alonso are not that far behind with 183 points each.

Hamilton is the biggest threat, and after finishing second in the last two races, it is clear that Perez really needs to finish closer to his teammate. Hamilton did not even gain any points from his P2 in Austin after having been disqualified. Meanwhile, Perez failed to score any points in his home race in Mexico last weekend due to an error he made in the opening corner, allowing Hamilton to close in.

Verstappen leaves Perez on his own

The team has been completely untouchable in the last two seasons, and team principal Christian Horner can't really ask for more. However, he admitted that it would be a mean feat if the Red Bull drivers could claim a 1-2 finish in the Drivers' Championship. This is something that they have never done before, even during the glory days of Sebastian Vettel's reign of four consecutive titles.

Verstappen has already done his part, and he has made it clear that he fully expects his teammate to carry his own weight. Verstappen told the press ahead of this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix: "It shouldn't always be on me to get the points."

However, he emphasised that he is confident that his teammate can finish ahead of the competition especially since the team has provided them with superior machinery. "I am confident in Checo that he can stay ahead because on average we have the faster car," said Verstappen.

Horner previously assured that Perez "will have the full support of the team to achieve something we have never done before".

Hamilton is determined to rain on Red Bull's parade

Mercedes started the year in the dumps, but they have made steady improvements throughout the lengthy season. Hamilton has slowly climbed up the standings to put himself within striking distance of Perez even after the disqualification in the USGP and a crash in Qatar earlier in October.

Needless to say, Perez is hanging on to second place by a thread. A twenty-point advantage is hardly comfortable, and a single DNF could allow Hamilton to leapfrog him in the standings. There are still three races remaining in Brazil, Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi before the season wraps up. This means that there are still plenty of opportunities for Perez to blow it and for the other drivers, not just Hamilton, to try to catch up.

Nightmares of 2022

It may be remembered that last season, Red Bull found themselves in a similar situation. Verstappen clinched the championship early despite a promising start for Ferrari. Towards the end of the campaign, Perez ended up battling Ferrari's Charles Leclerc for second place in the closing stages of the season.

Verstappen was crowned champion by Suzuka, and in Brazil he was running in sixth place ahead of his teammate as they approached the end of the race. Verstappen refused to let Perez through to be able to gain more valuable points, something which clearly upset the Mexican at the time.

The team radio conversations were vague, overall, but Verstappen was clear that he was not going to follow team orders. Perez, meanwhile, was quick to point out that he had helped Verstappen in the past, and was shocked not receive the same assistance.

The matter was later resolved internally, with everyone at Red Bull agreeing to put the whole thing behind them. The conversations were kept private, and both drivers later spoke positively about each other and said that they had ironed out the issue during a debriefing session with the team. Leclerc eventually sealed second place, and the gap was such that it would not have mattered if Verstappen gave up the position. Nevertheless, the incident remains in the mind especially now.

Back a year later in Sao Paulo, Verstappen opened up about the incident and said that he would prefer not to be faced with a similar situation this year. "Last year it wasn't really well spoken about before we got into the race weekend. Let's just hope we don't get into that situation; it is better for everyone."