"We are both mature" - Sergio Perez on his relationship with Max Verstappen

Sergio Perez claims he shares a 'mature' relationship with his teammate Max Verstappen in 2023. The Mexican is currently second in the drivers' standings, with Verstappen occupying the top spot currently.

While Perez was initially seen as the perfect wingman for the Dutchman in 2021, he soon grew to become more competitive within the Red Bull squad.

Their relationship reached a boiling point at the 2022 Brazilian GP when Verstappen refused to follow team orders, leading to visible tension within the team.

Sergio Perez, however, claims that there is considerable respect and maturity between the two drivers at the moment. As quoted by Motorsport.com, Perez said:

"Inside it is a great atmosphere with the team. There is a very high level of respect between each other in the team with all the engineers from their side or my side. I think we are both mature enough to know what's right and what's wrong. As long as that keeps being the case, then I don't expect anything to change."

Red Bull is clearly the class of the field at the moment, having won all three races so far this year. However, with the team expecting tougher times ahead due to a wind tunnel testing penalty, it remains to be seen if they can maintain their form.

Sergio Perez backed to fight Max Verstappen in title fight

Sergio Perez

The 1996 world champion Damon Hill holds the belief that Sergio Perez is gearing up to contend with Max Verstappen for the 2023 championship title. In the recent race held at Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Perez emerged victorious from pole position, finishing ahead of his teammate Verstappen.

Despite facing some hurdles during the race that forced him to commence at the 15th position, Max Verstappen made a remarkable comeback and secured second place.

However, Perez failed to secure a spot on the podium in Melbourne, with his teammate seizing the victory from the pole position.

Currently, no other team can match the performance of the Anglo-Austrian outfit. Hill thinks that Sergio Perez understands the challenge ahead and will not back down from a fight against Verstappen's talent. As quoted by Autosport:

"Checo knows what he's up against but he's not going to go down without a fight. It could be quite interesting. I think the problem that you have is that Max is a bit of a force of nature, and it's how much pressure he can put on the team to make sure his championship aspirations are not interfered with by Checo."

It will be interesting to see which of the two Red Bull drivers comes out on top at the end of the year.