Nikita Mazepin had quite a rocky start to his F1 campaign, garnering a lot of hatred from several other drivers for breaking the gentlemen’s agreement during the qualifying session in Bahrain. But, of course, the Russian never dragged him into such turmoil since then.

Hence, has the heat surrounding the ignorance of gentlemen’s agreement subsided? Not necessarily. The Russian recently put forth a claim that top drivers, including Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez, were breaking the code at Baku during qualifying.

Well, the Mexican has finally responded to Mazepin’s open criticisms. Perez acknowledged the Haas driver’s comments, as he affirmed several drivers overtaking while the rest of the grid was warming up for a flying lap in qualifying.

Sergio Perez’s response to Mazepin

As reported by Motorsport, Perez opened up about why the drivers broke the gentlemen’s agreement in Azerbaijan earlier this month.

“It was basically that we all went at the same time, and people created gaps, but then other people overtaking, not respecting the gentleman’s agreement,” he said.

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“It just made things a bit harder. We didn’t put the lap when it really counted. It’s as simple as that. Some drivers can respect that. Not all.”

Perez was certainly one of the drivers who failed to deliver at the Azerbaijan GP qualifying. However, the Mexican managed to deliver the much-needed performance later on Sunday, as he carried his Red Bull all the way to the top of the podium.

Can F1 Teams Have 3 Drivers?

Something we should discuss as drivers: Red Bull F1 driver

Perez felt it is reasonable to demand a discussion with fellow racing drivers in a bid to resolve the persisting instability around gentlemen’s agreement.

“Maybe it’s something we should discuss as drivers and be more sensible about it, especially when it comes to qualifying, that we should be more respectful and be more conscious that this can create difficulty for other people,” he opined.

“It definitely is worth a discussion to see how everyone feels about it.”

The approaching French Grand Prix is another weekend that could cause a lot of chaos on the track. Having recently been relaid, Circuit Paul Ricard could offer a certain amount of unpredictability to the race, as opposed to how straightforward it has played out in the past.

Hence, will Le Castellet be able to deliver the best race since its return to the F1 racing calendar in 2018? Well, we’ll know in time.

Watch Story: F1 Drivers Fighting on Track