“I won't give my support either” - Sergio Perez sends fiery warning to Max Verstappen and Red Bull

Since joining forces with Max Verstappen in 2021, Sergio Perez has shown himself to be a "sensational wingman," as Toto Wolff describes it, as the Mexican driver willingly moved aside for his Dutch teammate when urged to do so.

He also spent much of his Sunday at the 2021 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix holding back Lewis Hamilton so that Verstappen might regain the gap. Verstappen was full of praise for his teammate after winning the World Championship.

Verstappen didn't need Sergio Perez's help to continue into 2022, as the 25-year-old easily won his second World Championship. But as the season proceeded, Perez needed Verstappen's help, which he didn't get.

In fact, during the 2022 F1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix, the Dutchman flatly refused to assist his teammate and warned Red Bull by saying:

“I told you already last summer, guys. Don’t ask that again to me, okay? Are we clear about that? I gave my reasons and I stand by it.”

Perez remarked at the time that it "shows who he really is," but afterwards backtracked, with Red Bull stressing that everything was OK amongst the teammates and that they'd continue to work with the team in mind.

Yet, it appears Sergio Perez has told Red Bull and his teammates before the season that he expects a give-and-take relationship. Perez said (via PlanetF1):

“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.”

“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.”

Sergio Perez is currently preparing for a season in which he intends to challenge Verstappen for the World Championship.

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Sergio Perez can be Red Bull’s ‘bad boy’, says Former F1 double world champion

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Sergio Perez, according to Mika Hakkinen, is in a position at Red Bull where he is "allowed to be naughty" and carry out "unpleasant orders" for the team. Perez was nicknamed the 'Mexican Minister of Defense' after helping to keep Lewis Hamilton behind him in the 2021 title decider in Abu Dhabi, and teammate Max Verstappen praised him passionately for his assistance that night.

That is not the first time the Red Bull driver has been sent to assist his teammate, and double world champion Hakkinen feels it may be beneficial for Red Bull even though he considers it a "dirty" approach that remains a part of Formula 1. Hakkinen said (via PlanetF1):

“He’s allowed to be the naughty one – he seems to be very obedient. What I mean by being naughty is that sometimes the team asks him to do things, such as slowing others down."

When it comes to the in-team competition at Red Bull, Sergio Perez will be hoping to start the year by taking the fight to Max Verstappen within the garage as he seeks his own Formula 1 success.