Verstappen hit back, saying he had his reasons and that the team were well aware of them – it turned out to relate to Perez’s crash in qualifying for that year’s Monaco Grand Prix, which prevented Verstappen from setting a quicker lap than fourth. The Dutchman suspected it was a deliberate shunt to bring out the red flags and secure pole — from which Perez won the race.
The tension has surfaced once more: on the eve of the 2023 Bahrain GP, Perez told Fox Mexico he wouldn’t be so helpful if the same was not reciprocated in future.
“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,” he said.
Ferrari – Leclerc vs Sainz
Though the pairing of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz has been mostly harmonious up to now, they have had their flashpoints.
Sainz radioed in to complain when Leclerc made his life difficult at Saudi ’21 – “Cmon, Charles, don’t do this” – before the Spaniard refused to commit to a restart strategy that would have favoured his team-mate at Silverstone last year.
Sainz was ordered to back the pack up behind Leclerc as the race was about to get underway again in the late stages to let his team-mate build a lead, but the Spaniard, who was on newer and softer tyres, refused.
“But guys, I’m under pressure from Hamilton, please don’t ask these things,” he said. “Please, stop inventing.”
Sainz eventually overtook and won, with Leclerc clearly furious. Though it ended up being just one error in a catalogue of strategic mistakes for Ferrari that season, similar outcomes this year could lead to more disquiet from the Monégasque.
Mercedes – Hamilton vs Russell
Though the relationship between Mercedes’ two charges has been sound so far, Hamilton has had run-ins with team-mates in the past.