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Max Verstappen Would’ve Been Fired for Red Bull-Sergio Perez Stunt Had Circumstances Been Different

Published 12/31/2022, 4:25 AM EST

Despite Sergio Perez’s countless contributions to Max Verstappen‘s success, the Dutchman refused to pay him back. The championship race was long over and Perez needed his teammate’s help to finish 2nd in the standings. However, Verstappen declined to follow the team’s orders and invited the fans’ ire. The Dutchman’s insubordination did not anger just the fans, though. Former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone wasn’t amused with the move either and had he been at the helm of Red Bull, he would have handled things differently.

As the race in Sao Paulo progressed towards the final stages, Red Bull knew Sergio Perez couldn’t have passed Charles Leclerc. The duo was in a battle for the 2nd in drivers’ standings. Red Bull strategists asked Max to pass his teammate, overtake Fernando Alonso and then try to steal points away from Leclerc.

However, they also told him to give the position back to his teammate if he did not overtake Alonso. Not only did Max fail to overtake the Spaniard, but also refused to give the place back. He also lashed out at his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase for even suggesting he do something like that.

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Former F1 driver Hans-Joachim Stuck spoke with Bernie Ecclestone on the phone where they discussed the incident. Revealing Bernie’s reaction while talking with Eurosport Germany, Stuck said, “He was very clear there.” [Translated using Google]

“If one of his drivers hadn’t followed such an instruction, Bernie would have thrown him out,” he continued.

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While Verstappen drew criticism from all corners of Formula 1, former world champion Jenson Button came to his rescue.

Jenson Button lends his support for Max Verstappen with Sebastian Vettel comparison

Jenson Button was present for Sky Sports’ post-race show. Discussing the Verstappen-Perez incident, Button spoke in Max’s favor. He recalled the Sebastian Vettel-Mark Webber Multi 21 saga when Vettel defied team orders as well.

Button said, “Max is the one winning races. So, if Checo is upset about it, it’s a problem for Checo.”

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Sky’s presenter Simon Lazenby asked him, “So you’re in the Mika Hakkinen camp, are you? Because he was saying that as well, ‘it’s just a strong statement, and that’s it. This is my team’.”

The 2009 F1 champion replied, “I mean Seb [Vettel] did exactly the same. Multi-21 was exactly the same. And we think Seb is such a sweet guy.”

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Watch This Story: Two Decades Later Red Bull Disastrously Recreate 2002 Austrian GP

Which camp are you in, the Bernie camp that believes Max should have been reprimanded, or the Jenson Button camp that believes what he did was right?

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Written by:

Nischay Rathore is a Formula 1 Author at EssentiallySports. Being a law graduate, he has worked at the Supreme Court of India as well as the High Court of Delhi. However, due to his adherent love for sports, he has now set out to start his journey into the world of Sports Journalism.

Edited by:

Varunkumaar Chelladurai

Max Verstappen Would’ve Been Fired for Red Bull-Sergio Perez Stunt Had Circumstances Been Different

Jenson Button lends his support for Max Verstappen with Sebastian Vettel comparison

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